EXHIBITION PROGRAMMING
The CVA Collective Vision faculty lecture series presents:

• Presentation & Music Performance
  Thursday, February 23, 6:30pm
  Mixed Emotions: Why Music and Art Move Us with Dr. Heather Graham, Assistant Professor (Art History) and Dr. Shawn Mollenhauer (Music)
• Panel Discussion
  Thursday, March 15, 6:30pm
  From the Academy to the Contemporary Studio: Examining Pedagogical Approaches to the Figure with Sandra Lane, Assistant Professor (Drawing) and Carmen Ripollés, Assistant Professor (Art History)

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday noon-5pm. Admission is free.
www.MetroStateCVA.org

IMAGES: John Coplans, Self Portrait (Hands holding feet), gelatin silver print, 1985. FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY, CHICAGO, IL. Irene Delka McCray, Restrict, oil on canvas, 2011

"The dullest soul cannot go upon such an expedition without some of the spirit of adventure; as if he had stolen the boat of Charon and gone down the Styx on a midnight expedition in the realms of Pluto.... The silent navigator shoves his craft gently over the water, with a smothered pride and sense of benefaction, as if he were phosphor, or light-bringer, to these dusky realms, or some sister moon, blessing the spaces with her light." -Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Bringing together 29 internationally renowned contemporary painters, Dark Water is a collaborative exploration of a theme that yields both personal as well as universal interpretations. Historically in art and literature, the imagery of dark water has made a symbolic allusion to various states of the inner self, such as the murky depths of the subconscious or the raging seas of our more turbulent moods. Alternatively, in our modern age the imagery of dark water can also provoke a reflection on such topics as environmental imbalance and a global dependency on - and uneasy relationship with - the dark waters of industry.

Ferrying us across this stygian visual landscape are some of the most celebrated painters of our era. Artists in this group have their work included in such public collections as The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Brooklyn Museum, The Smithsonian Institute, and London's National Portrait Gallery, and in the private collections of such notable collectors as Leonardo diCaprio, Eric Fischl, Nike CEO Mark Parker, Robert Schiell, Howard Tullman, and Kanye West.

ARTISTS:

MARSHALL ARISMAN
STEVEN ASSAEL
JOHN BROPHY
DAVE COOPER
PHIL HALE
CAITLIN HACKETT
ANDREW HEM
KENICHI HOSHINE
CHARLIE IMMER
JOSH KEYES
BRAD KUNKLE
JEAN LABOURDETTE (TURF ONE)
JEREMY LIPKING
ADAM MILLER
ALYSSA MONKS
CHRISTIAN REX VAN MINNEN
JENNY MORGAN
BILLY NORRBY
ALEXANDRA PACULA
MU PAN
MATT ROTA
JEAN-PIERRE ROY
BEN SMITH
NICOLA VERLATO
ERIC WHITE
ARON WIESENFELD
ELIZABETH WINNEL
MARTIN WITTFOOTH
JASON YARMOSKY

Curated by Martin Wittfooth

OPENING RECEPTION:
Saturday, November 12th, 8 pm – 11:30 pm

Copro Gallery
2525 Michigan Avenue T5 (Bergamot Arts Complex), Santa Monica, CA 90404
www.coprogallery.com / 310.829.2156
Gallery hours: Wednesday – Saturday 1-6 pm, or by appointment

For press inquiries, please contact darkwater@martinwittfooth.com

224 Roebling Street
Brooklyn, New York 11211
www.likethespice.com
718.388.5388
Mon. Wed. – Sat. 12-8:00 Sun. 12-7:00

For Immediate Release

Press Release
Jenny Morgan: One and the Many
May 13th – June 19th, 2011
Opening Reception: May 13th, 2011, 6:30-9:00pm
Monthly Artist Dinner: Friday June 3rd, 2011 8pm RSVP Only

Like the Spice Gallery is proud to present "One and the Many," an exhibition by Jenny Morgan whose new body of work formulates a grounded state of hyper-sense while stripping each figure she paints to their spiritual core. In her second solo show at Like the Spice, Morgan locates a mystical familiarity in contemporary musicians and artists. The technical grace of her figurative representation merges with surreal imagination. Thoughtful manipulations bejewel her new work and reveal a renewed sense of reserve. Each full-frontal portrait blossoms out of scintillating colors and effects, revealing layers of the individual and insight into a parallel dimension.

In utilizing the figure, Morgan facilitates a correspondence between souls. The figures resemble avatars in their presence and disdain for artificial attachment to the contours, rather than the spirit, of the body. Each human portal is transformed by supplemental hues, soft glazes, blurred features, or minute definition into a striking mutant. Oftentimes her self-portraits bear the brunt of her early experiments, epitomizing the fluidity of extremes in the midst of unmistakable comfort. Morgan disengages from her attachment to hands and arms, allowing her varied technique to appear as accessories to her personages rather than staples of her practice.

Despite the traditional beauty of her oil paintings, Morgan actively contradicts simplistically pretty hyperrealism with gritty psychedelia. Old Masters and a concept of dimensional layering were two significant contributions to the bevy of new work. Morgan has an informed understanding of art history, color theory, and design theory that is simultaneously addressed and deconstructed. These references appear as figments, sheer filters for a dimension that pulls from the multiplicity of the present.

Morgan's passion for spiritual science translates into an interest in provoking a multitude of physical dimensions. Confronting the raw canvas and its function as a corporeal boundary are important components in many of these paintings. Each additive technique or reduction of the canvas allows Morgan to investigate perceptual layers. Figures fluctuate in and out of the background by way of pattern; stripes, zips, and even checkerboards distort the fore and complicate the viewer's understand of compositional space.

Dimensional incongruity in Morgan's work extracts sobriety, focus, and a sense of yearning from her sitters. The peculiar elegance of her work transcends photorealism in its connection to the body, to the moments of humanity. Morgan fastens to her subject's breath, thought, and life. She catapults each model into the light.

In the past year Morgan has secured several portraiture commissions for the likes of The New York Times Magazine and New York Magazine, she was also featured on the cover of art ltd. magazine. Jenny Morgan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1982. She had her first solo show in New York at Like the Spice Gallery in January of 2009, and has exhibited nationwide in solo shows at Plus + Gallery and the Pirate Gallery in Denver, Colorado. Ms. Morgan has participated in group shows at Postmasters Gallery, New York, NY; 92Y Tribeca, New York, NY; Millennia Gallery, Orlando, Florida; Columbia University, The LeRoy Neiman Gallery; Smithsonian Institute's National Portrait Gallery; The Magnificent Basement, London, England; Galleri SE Konst, Falun Sweden; and multiple galleries in Colorado, Florida and New York City. This year Plus + Gallery published in collaboration with Like the Spice gallery "New Territory" a 240 page full color book presenting 100 paintings by Jenny Morgan from the start of her career in 2003 through her major exhibitions in 2009. Ms. Morgan work is in public and private collections worldwide.

Like the Spice Gallery @ Booth D08

Location
Wynwood Gallery Arts District | 3055 North Miami Avenue | Miami, Florida 33127

FirstView
Tuesday, November 30 | 3pm-9pm
Free for VIPs or $100 donation at the door benefiting the SCOPE Foundation

PressView
Tuesday, November 30 | 3pm-9pm
Free for all press or $100 donation at the door benefiting the SCOPE Foundation

General Admission Fair Hours
Wednesday | December 1 | 11am-6pm
Thursday-Saturday | December 2-4 | 11-7pm
Sunday | December 5 | 11am-6pm

Transportation
Shuttle buses run every fifteen minutes to the SCOPE and ART ASIA pavilions, November 30 - December 5. Take the North Loop Shuttle in front of the Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater on the NW corner of Washington Avenue and 17th Street, one block from the Miami Beach Convention Center.

This autumn four galleries in New York and London will exhibit works by artists' assistants under the banner 'Off The Clock'. Created through a collaboration between Like The Spice (New York) and ALISN, the series of exhibitions will feature work by Gary Doherty who has assisted Sir Anthony Caro, Allison Edge who has assisted Jeff Koons, Alison Gill who has assisted Gavin Turk, Matt Blackler who assists Gordon Cheung, Benjamin Deakin who assists Keith Tyson, Jenny Morgan who assists Marilyn Minter, and others. All of these artists have spent significant time working in another artist’s studio helping to create works which can be seen in major art galleries, art fairs, important private collections and public spaces throughout the world.

More info ...

It's hard to believe that Jenny Morgan's output to date numbers close to 100 paintings since graduating as Valedictorian from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design just six years ago in 2003. What's even more remarkable is the quality and progression of the work that's been inherent from the start, both through her first three years in Denver and now continuing on in NYC. We know that Morgan's career is going to be considered of major importance one day and value the fact that we've been with her every step of the way. We are currently finalizing a major monograph book that will be available for release next month. "New Territory" commemorates Morgan's gifts as a painter and the remarkable momentum she has built through sharp dedication and focus on her career. The book will feature nearly every painting she has exhibited since debuting in Denver at Pirate Gallery with the exhibition "Delicate Disclosure" leading all the way up through the current paintings on view in the NYC show "Civil Union" and our very own "This Too Shall Pass." While a good portion of the images will be familiar to clients and followers of Morgan's work, there are many gaps that will be filled including some of the most exciting paintings of the last two years from her NYC shows and studio. All together the book will be over 200 pages in full color and a very impressive and collectible piece in it's own right. "New Territory" will be available initially through pre-order via the gallery at a discounted rate and eventually to the public on Blurb.com at a higher rate. To reserve your copy now, contact ivar@plusgallery.com or stop by the gallery to learn more.