John Will: Greed'l Get You
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Norberg Hall 333B 36 Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta T2G 1W2
Philip Kanwischer
John Will, "Greed'l Get You," 2020
"Conceptually, this series of works are obviously text-based and the messages take care of themselves, but being a visual artist, I try to determine the success of these pictures on how they look." ~ John Will
Greed'l Get You / John Will
Greed’l Get You, a new exhibition of text-based work by Calgary artist John Will, continues an investigation into his fascination with his own origins in the world as an individual and an artist. Will is known as a trickster but it is beneath this dimension of his work that the viewer finds the depth of the message in his pictorial epistles. Over the course of his career, Will has worked intuitively in his creation of satirical and dark texted-based paintings and works on paper. Through a process of collecting fragments of language, he stitches together statements and sentences that are the inspiration for the work. The pieces in Greed’l Get Youwere selected from his “Book of Wont” where Will has been cataloguing his artwork since 2015. There are over 838 works in this series, 198 of which are included in the exhibition, as well as the book itself. These works brought together at Jarvis Hall Gallery become a narrative, not only tracing aspects of Will’s life but also the life we all live in 21st century Western culture. This lends the exhibition a strong critique of the ethos of our current reality.
John Will is a highly regarded painter, printmaker, and performance artist with a career that spans nearly 50 years. Born in 1939, in Waterloo, Iowa, and educated at the University of Iowa (MFA 1963). John received a Fulbright Fellowship to Amsterdam and was a printer fellow at Tamarind Institute before moving to Canada in the early 70’s where taught across Canada; all the way from NSCAD, to the University of Calgary, to the Emily Carr School of Art. John has exhibited internationally and his exceptional list of exhibitions, performance projects, writings, videos, articles and awards knows no end.
His work can be found in collections of Art Institute of Chicago, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the New York Public Library, the Museum of New Mexico, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and many, many more. John's impact on his community and the Canadian art scene spans generations and will be felt for years to come.
Exhibition Open / Online Viewing Room - Now Live
JHG is pleased to present this extraordinary exhibition with senior artist, John Will.
Despite restrictions being eased in Calgary, we've designed a new Online Viewing Roomto accompany this exceptional exhibition. For the summer JHG will remain open By Appointment throughout the week and we welcome you to Drop In on Fridays and Saturdays. Using this platform and approach, we can continue with our planned exhibition schedule while ensuring that the health and safety of our artists, collectors, clients and staff is a top priority.
John Will is a much beloved senior (81 yrs) Calgary based artist and is notorious for drawing a big crowd of collectors, fans, friends and foes. For COVID-related safety reasons, we will not be hosting a large opening reception for this exhibition. Alternatively, John has graciously agreed to "mask up" and join us at JHG each Saturday throughout the summer, between 2-4 PM (with the exception of the August long weekend). Visitors and friends are encouraged to drop-by but masks, social distancing and safety precautions will be in implemented.
The exhibition is now open and the Online Viewing Room is LIVE to the public via our website. Artwork prices are listed and further information on purchasing can be obtained by contacting the gallery here.