John Kissick: The Boom Bits

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John Kissick, "Boom Bits," nd

Public Reception with the Artist - FRI Nov 25 | 7 PM

Free Admission | Refreshments

Cash Bar | Music by Site 61

Acclaimed by critics and artists as ‘fantastically beautiful and intellectually compelling,’ this touring exhibition features large scale paintings and prints from the last five years of the Ontario abstract painter’s practice. The longtime former editor of Canadian Art Magazine, Richard Rhodes, applauds Kissick’s work for its intriguing dialogue with the historical conventions and origins of abstract painting – from modernism to surrealism – while adding new dimensions to abstraction’s ever-evolving languages (“Pixel My World,” Canadian Art, June 21, 2012.) Kissick himself says that the work in The Boom Bits continues his pursuit of ‘fever vision’ through use of ‘faded supergraphics and over-crafted decorative gestures,’ with the unexpected element of glitter adding a ‘manic visual dynamic’ and craft associations. This is masterful, smart, and exuberant painting that packs a real visual wallop.

Known primarily as a painter and writer, John has an extensive exhibition record, with over 30 solo exhibitions in Canada, the US, and Germany. He received a BFA from Queen’s University and an MFA from Cornell University and has held academic appointments at the University of Guelph (where he currently teaches), Ontario College of Art + Design, Penn State University and The University of Ulster at Belfast. His work has also been featured in important survey exhibitions on contemporary painting, and is held in numerous public collections.

The Boom Bits was organized by the Thames Art Gallery (curator Carl Lavoy) in collaboration with the Esplanade Art Gallery, Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Guelph and the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery (Sarnia, ON).