Graham Collins, “Stadiums” at The Journal Gallery / Brooklyn

Graham Collins 
“Stadiums”
September 15 – November 1 2015 
The Journal Gallery
106 North 1st Street   
Brooklyn  NY 11249

Graham Collins, “Stadiums” at The Journal Gallery

Graham Collins, “Stadiums” at The Journal Gallery

Graham Collins, “Stadiums” at The Journal Gallery

Graham Collins, Untitled (Chamois), 2015
Suede flocking on mixed media, reclaimed wood, glass, aluminum leaf and bronze
34 x 16 x 5 inches

Graham Collins, Untitled (Plantains), 2015
Suede flocking on mixed media, reclaimed wood, glass, imitation gold leaf and bronze
18 x 16 x 4 inches

The Journal Gallery is pleased to present “Stadiums,” the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. 
“Stadiums” is comprised of an installation of several related bodies of new work which incorporate notions of abstract painting, found-object assemblage and the decorative arts, all viewed through the lens of an architectural support structure. 
Large-scale paintings dominate the main exhibition space. Painted directly on salvaged above- ground swimming pools, these works evoke a history of avant-garde expression while retaining a vestige of their former lives as anti-monuments in backyards across America.
Installed in discreet locations throughout the further reaches of the gallery is a series of smaller framed works. These mock display cases are accretions of myriad materials and attitudes towards craft, representation, decoration and symbol. Reproductions of mundane found objects are presented as expressive marks on a dynamic sculptural ground formed from flocked workshop detritus. These painterly compositions are encased in carefully handcrafted frames with a range of decorative finishes—gold and aluminum leaf, low-voc paints, beeswax. 
Graham Collins was born in Washington, D.C. in 1980. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BFA 2003 from Corcoran College of Art in Washington and his MFA 2010 from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Graham Collins recent solo exhibitions include “The Village“ at Bugada & Cargnel in Paris, France (2015), “Early Words” at Halsey McKay, East Hampton, New York (2015), “Concert in Central Park” at Jonathan Viner Gallery, London, UK (2014), “Clean Room” at Luce Gallery in Torino, Italy (2014) and “Civic” at The Journal Gallery, Brooklyn, New York (2013). His work has been shown in numerous group exhibitions, including “Altered States” at Jérôme Pauchant in Paris, France (2015), “Ghost Current” at V1 Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark (2014), “Uber-Bodies” at Hydra School Projects in Hydra, Greece (2014), and “Difference and Repetition” at Luce Gallery in Torino, Italy (2014), among others. 
*All images are courtesy of the artist and The Journal Gallery, New York

**Photo credits: Andres Ramirez