BE THEREDeluxePresented by Stellan Holm Gallery November 10, 2006- December 22, 2006Reception: November 10, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pmJason BrooksSTELLAN HOLM GALLERY is pleased to present Deluxe, the first solo exhibition in the United States of British painter Jason Brooks with his latest works. Opening reception on Friday, November 10 from 6 to 8pm. Brooks seeks to redefine the concept of painting. On view are four large-scale paintings of heavily-tattooed individuals. Brooks’ subjects are themselves tattoo artists – painters of bodies. Thus Brooks’ works are essentially paintings of paintings. Deluxe also questions the objects of paintings. Painting as a luxury good is given a new meaning when the subject of the painting is of a tattoed body; tattoos question the idea of painting as a luxurious item on the human body, which is inherently flawed. The unsmiling portraits of Brooks’ sitters also examine society’s perception of persons with tattoos. The solemn portraits may be seemingly daunting and conjure an image of inapproachability, but familiarity with the paintings and the sitters in time gives newfound appreciation for tattoo artists. This leading young British artist is a technical virtuoso sophisticated in photography but well known for his hyper-realistic portraits as a highly skilled painter. While generating his visual renderings directly from his photographs of rather intimidating or confrontational personalities - heavily adorned with tattoos - Brooks engages the viewer in a complete exposure of extremely focused detail of his subject. These meticulously executed works are painted in such a manner that evades any attempt to flatter, instead he examines a much more important facet to him: the ambiguities of realism, an experience of thoughtful discourse on layers of actuality. At this level of scrutiny Brook’s portraits become a fixation of value and ultimately a moral resolution of truth. Born in Rotherham, England in 1968, Brooks studied at the Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Art & Design for his BA Fine Art from 1988 to 1991. He received his MFA in 1992 from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. Jason Brooks lives and works in London.
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