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Cakehead

December 21, 2006- January 13, 2007

Reception: December 21, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Sam Gibbons

Claire Oliver

513 W 26th St

Sam Gibbons' paintings are fascinating renderings of cartoons perversely entwined in spasms of death and candy-colored imitations of sex. Gibbons' work is a painterly convergence of figuration and abstraction; resembling a Rorschach test, one side of the canvas mirrors the other, lending symmetry and precision to fluid and spontaneous bursts of color and form. Employing imagery that was originally intended to entertain and pacify, Gibbons' paintings are at war within themselves. The typical role of the cartoon is subverted; these benchmarks of inexperience are engaged in violent and sexual acts. Acting as allegories for the loss of innocence, Sam Gibbons' paintings exist as a complex and beautiful mimicry of the human condition.

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As the ancient philosopher Plotinus debated symmetry and beauty he concluded that the ideal form groups and coordinates a diversity of parts to become unity by rallying confusion into operation. Gibbons’ hyper-real use of symmetry rallies Disneyesque cartoon characters from the 20th century which operate as interpretive jovial images. Pulsating with a convoluted chaos, they echo contemporary society’s propensity towards over-stimulation.

Gibbons’ exhibition, “Cakehead”, presents the viewer with dynamic three-dimensional works painted on cut out wooden panels. In the manner of Elizabeth Murray, Gibbons assumes the overall look of a Rorschach inkblot revealing a mathematical complexity reminiscent of M.C. Escher. These works summon our natural associations to the vividly colored characters of our childhood. Drawing us into a raw, violent, deadly, and sexual side of the human condition in classic Post Modern satirical form.

Sam Gibbons’ work is in the collection of The New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT. The artist has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States including the McDonough Museum, Youngstown, OH; Sperone Westwater, New York, NY; and Brent Sikkema, New York, NY. He has recently completed his MFA at Hunter College, NY.

Books and DVDs related to artists in this show

Location   Gallery Claire Oliver Address 513 W 26th St New York (Chelsea) NY, 10001 United States Phone 212-929-5949 Hours Tue-Sat 10-6

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