| Josh Dorman: New WorksDecember 3, 2009- February 6, 2010Reception: December 3, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Mary Ryan Gallery is pleased to announce Josh Dorman: New Paintings, his second exhibition at Mary Ryan Gallery.
Dorman’s distinctive approach to painting combines ink, acrylic, and antique collage materials with vintage maps, and
the resulting works are multi-layered narratives that resist resolution.
Dorman works almost automatically, without sketches or heavy prep time. He forms a symbiotic relationship with his
materials, which enables him to avoid exerting too much control over the work: “I try to remove my hand from the
process-- by pouring puddles of ink that create minute rivers and stains that dry into surprising forms, by combining
antique engravings of anatomy and architecture, and by forcing accidents to happen.” To this end, Dorman has started
to use bits of netting, beads, bolts, and plant material as stencils, which leave unique markings on the surface once
removed.
While the level of detail in his paintings seems to suggest specific intentions, Dorman seeks the same revelatory
experience in creating the works that the viewer has when looking at them. Certain dualities remain constant: chaos
and order, the natural and the man-made, fluidity and restraint, as well as the shift in scale from micro to macro. “The
combination of excavating imagery from topographic maps and imposing found images allows me to jump in space,
scale, and meaning hundreds of times within a few square inches. Scale is spiritual for me--fractal forms echo infinitely,
from the microscopic to the cosmic,” he says.
These new paintings incorporate more atmospheric, Turner-esque washes of paint, balancing areas of density and heavy
construction. Human figures, usually scarce in Dorman’s work, make several appearances in miniature as silhouettes,
simplified and dwarfed by their imposing surroundings. In Thirty-five Percent, a drastically reduced pacific ocean rests
between lush jungle foliage and a steady stream of monkeys making their way towards a more advanced world. A misty
white cloud conceals ghostly images of gears, nets, and celestial bodies as it expands, obscuring the weathered map
beneath.
Also on view is a selection of small-scale pencil drawings that Dorman draws from left to right across the paper, working
with images as they emerge, unsure of what the final outcome may be. These dark, brooding images provide a contrast
to the humor and whimsy so prevalent in his paintings.
Please contact Jordan Karney for more information at 212.397.0669 or jordan@maryryangallery.com
Josh Dorman lives and works in New York City. He received his MFA from Queens College in New York and has been the subject of many solo
gallery exhibitions across the country. Most recently Dorman was the subject of “Within Four Miles: The World of Josh Dorman” a solo exhibition
at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles (August 23 to January 11, 2009). He is a 2009 NYFA Grant recipient and has been written about in
the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, ArtForum, The New Yorker, and by acclaimed author Paul Auster.
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