Barnaby Whitfield: new pastel show in New York City

My old friend Barnaby Whitfield has a new solo show of pastel paintings opening tonight at New York City's 31GRAND gallery. The exhibition, titled "Little Deaths, All The Same," runs through April 19. Above left, "The Truth Won't Save You Now (The Sky Is Falling Down)." Above right, "End! Game! (Ode To The Artist's Conception)." The solo exhibition is accompanied by a group show that Barnaby curated. From the press release:

From lovingly using his art dealer to anthropomorphize the ‘Bird Flu’ to finding fictional passion with Hernan Bas on a men seeking men website, we continue to get amusing and rather untrustworthy glimpses into Whitfield’s experience in the art world. And besides an over all theme the artist states as “sexualizing the environmental crisis within the context of American politics” we also see the end to Barnaby’s quest for his real parents (Whitfield was one of those children that always suspected they were adopted even though they knew quite well they were not), and a startling turn of events in his ongoing Clonie series (a character created when the momentarily impoverished artist decided to sell nudes on eBay inadvertently gaining the attention of 31GRAND and being welcomed into the fold.)

Never one to ignore a good bandwagon, this show is rife with imagery of Mother Nature’s rapidly declining health. It all comes to a questionably hopeful end in the piece “Wild! Woman! On The Water! (My Imaginary Friend She’s Just Pretend)” featuring Barnaby (in toddler form) and his Mother, Clonie, (along with Sarah Jessica Parker as Lil Orphan Annie) riding out the flooding from "Al Gore’s global warming" in search of dry land and greener pastures.

Link to online gallery, Link to press release

[#1 posted by Antinous , March 20, 2008 11:38 AM]

The Truth Won't Save You Now (The Sky Is Falling Down) is very reminiscent of La Vierge et l'Enfant entourés d'anges with Agnès Sorel, Charles VII's mistress, as the model for the virgin.

[#2 posted by noen , March 20, 2008 4:14 PM]

Yankeeknowhow's idea of fine, spiritually uplifting "art".

Reagan on Rushmore

"Reagan on Rushmore" utilizes on innovative new format: a "virtual" double-mat that is mounted on strong extruded plastic. No costly mats to buy. Even the use of glass is unnecessary because the art image is protected with a UV fade guard. Display as is. Or easily slip into an "off the shelf" frame.

(Hint, it's a place mat. That way if you spill your grits just wipe with a cloth!)

[#3 posted by Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator , March 21, 2008 6:22 AM]

Antinous, that would explain the red amoretti. Her hairstyle, though, is taken from a first-century Roman portrait bust.

Noen, where did you find that wonderfully appalling link? I've added it to my "Particles" list on my home site. I particularly liked the blurb quote from Jack Kemp, praising the piece as "classy."