artist John Bissonette at the Basement Gallery
by Mac B
"Thinking of You" paintings by John Bissonette
:::::The Basement Gallery::::: :::::::::::PRESENTS:::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: "Blank Inside" Solo Exhibition of new works by artist John Bissonette Opening Reception Friday, Dec. 7th 6-10PM Exhibition Continues Dec. 8th - Jan. 4th Regular Hours: Fri. 6-9PM, Sat&Sun 3-7PM Blank Inside is an exhibition of new work by artist John Bissonette. Crafted using a combination of inkjet printing and painting on canvas, the works in this show pay homage to the glossy surfaces and programmatic language of common greeting cards. Bissonette's work conflates notions of high and low by combining the techniques of lowbrow fine art reproduction, overtly sentimental imagery, and materially driven painting. The material and imagery present in the show put to question value and taste while posing questions of authenticity and the construction of meaning. Artist Statement "Thinking of you." It is a simple statement but one that has implications far beyond its apparent brevity. An intimation of empathy, sympathy, love, and loss, it transcends specificity and is applicable to both the beautiful and disastrous. It is a general acknowledgement of an awareness that is applicable to everyone and everything. I am interested in the activity of authorship as a manner of customization. The greeting card is appealing to me because of its open-ended meaning. It is a vessel waiting to be emptied, refilled, and is therefore representative of the activity of meaning. My work is an exploration of situations that have the ability to transgress the notion of cliché. I work within the constraints of mass culture, yet recode appropriated images and text so as to allow for meaning to be born of the slippery spaces between the genuine and the prescribed. Bio John Bissonette was born in Bloomington, Indiana, and currently lives and works in Knoxville, TN. He received his BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design in 2003, and his MFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2006. His work has been exhibited nationally in cities including Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, and Columbus, OH, and has been reviewed recently by Lauren Weinberg in Time Out Chicago. In 2003, Bissonette was the recipient of the Herman E. Spivy Fellowship from the University of Tennessee as well as a graduate teaching associate position. In 2007 he was awarded a residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. His work resides in public collections in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Columbus and has been accepted to the viewing program at the Drawing Center in NY. Bissonette is currently a lecturer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. -- The Basement Gallery 103-B W. Jackson Ave. Knoxville, TN 37902 Phone: (865) 437-9613 www.thebasementgallery.net Click here to read or post comments.
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