Michael Velliquette Opens New Show of Collages at DCKT Contemporary May 8, 2009
DCKT Contemporary is pleased to present Michael Velliquette’s second New York solo exhibition. Velliquette hand cuts and glues paper cardstock into complex dimensional assemblages reminiscent of the interiors of large-scale pop-up books or mosaics in high relief. In his current body of work Velliquette returns once again to garden and jungle settings where humorous and visually dense paper tableaux are populated with animistic spirits, beasts, goons and gods.
New York, NY, April 10, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Michael Velliquette
Abundant Creatures
May 8 – June 13, 2009
Opening Reception:
Friday, May 8, 6-8pm
DCKT Contemporary is pleased to present Michael Velliquettes second New York solo exhibition. Velliquette hand cuts and glues paper cardstock into complex dimensional assemblages reminiscent of the interiors of large-scale pop-up books or mosaics in high relief. In his current body of work Velliquette returns once again to garden and jungle settings where humorous and visually dense paper tableaux are populated with animistic spirits, beasts, goons and gods.
Velliquette’s primary material - commercially colored cardstock - has been made more available in recent years due to the rise in popularity of scrap-booking culture and the greater renaissance of the do-it-yourself home crafting movement. His interest in paper-crafting media evolves from of a background in mixed-media sculpture and installation where cardstock and other colored papers were often a component.
Clown Beast, Humbaba and Sleepy Bunny present offbeat characters as straightforward portraits. They are vaguely mythological, sometimes Muppet-like, both fierce and friendly and are concerned with the dynamics of familiarity and otherness. In Little Friends and The Midnight Creeper Society, armies of tiny paper beings hide in a sea of black paper foliage. With their wild and quizzical looks they seem to stare, taunt and warn.
The panoramic, eight-foot wide Grazing Ground and Abundant Creatures are inspired by ancient frescoes found on the Greek island of Santorini. Each work depicts an Arcadian paradise where menageries of imaginary wildlife cohabitate in utopian splendor.
Two vertical Towers venture into ever-increasing levels of detail and dimensionality. Each work takes visual cues from indigenous and folk arts of varied world cultures as a means of integrating abstract figuration and transcendental themes. They allow Velliquette to indulge in his unmitigated enthusiasm for shape and color and also gesture toward devotional ornamentation.
Velliquette lives and works in Madison, WI. His work is included in the Progressive Art Collection (Cleveland) and Western Bridge (Seattle). In 2009 he will be a resident artist at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, WI). Recent solo exhibitions include LaMontagne Gallery (Boston) and NEXT 2008 (Chicago). In 2010 he will be included in the group exhibition Psychedelic at the San Antonio Museum of Art.
The exhibition will be on view at DCKT Contemporary, 195 Bowery (at Spring Street).
Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday, noon – 6pm; Sunday, noon – 5pm.
For further information, please contact Dennis Christie or Ken Tyburski at the gallery.
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Abundant Creatures
May 8 – June 13, 2009
Opening Reception:
Friday, May 8, 6-8pm
DCKT Contemporary is pleased to present Michael Velliquettes second New York solo exhibition. Velliquette hand cuts and glues paper cardstock into complex dimensional assemblages reminiscent of the interiors of large-scale pop-up books or mosaics in high relief. In his current body of work Velliquette returns once again to garden and jungle settings where humorous and visually dense paper tableaux are populated with animistic spirits, beasts, goons and gods.
Velliquette’s primary material - commercially colored cardstock - has been made more available in recent years due to the rise in popularity of scrap-booking culture and the greater renaissance of the do-it-yourself home crafting movement. His interest in paper-crafting media evolves from of a background in mixed-media sculpture and installation where cardstock and other colored papers were often a component.
Clown Beast, Humbaba and Sleepy Bunny present offbeat characters as straightforward portraits. They are vaguely mythological, sometimes Muppet-like, both fierce and friendly and are concerned with the dynamics of familiarity and otherness. In Little Friends and The Midnight Creeper Society, armies of tiny paper beings hide in a sea of black paper foliage. With their wild and quizzical looks they seem to stare, taunt and warn.
The panoramic, eight-foot wide Grazing Ground and Abundant Creatures are inspired by ancient frescoes found on the Greek island of Santorini. Each work depicts an Arcadian paradise where menageries of imaginary wildlife cohabitate in utopian splendor.
Two vertical Towers venture into ever-increasing levels of detail and dimensionality. Each work takes visual cues from indigenous and folk arts of varied world cultures as a means of integrating abstract figuration and transcendental themes. They allow Velliquette to indulge in his unmitigated enthusiasm for shape and color and also gesture toward devotional ornamentation.
Velliquette lives and works in Madison, WI. His work is included in the Progressive Art Collection (Cleveland) and Western Bridge (Seattle). In 2009 he will be a resident artist at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, WI). Recent solo exhibitions include LaMontagne Gallery (Boston) and NEXT 2008 (Chicago). In 2010 he will be included in the group exhibition Psychedelic at the San Antonio Museum of Art.
The exhibition will be on view at DCKT Contemporary, 195 Bowery (at Spring Street).
Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday, noon – 6pm; Sunday, noon – 5pm.
For further information, please contact Dennis Christie or Ken Tyburski at the gallery.
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Contact
DCKT Contemporary
Ken Tyburski
212-741-9955
dcktcontemporary.com
Ken Tyburski
212-741-9955
dcktcontemporary.com
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