......
The Tilton Gallery is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of Jeff Sonhouse, which will run from November 6 - December 23, 2008. The opening reception is on November 8, from 6 - 8pm.
Jeff Sonhouse’s latest exhibition, Pawnography is a broad exploration of the concept of “the pawn.” Visually and conceptually, the artist asks us to stretch our thinking beyond the standard meaning of the word and into the subtleties and complexities among relationships of power. By definition, a pawn is a noun; an instrument or a person used by another for gain or as a means to an end. However, the manner in which Sonhouse considers the pawn is far more nuanced. In Pawnography, Sonhouse examines what it means to be a pawn within the context of politics and within the realm of particular individuals—the political subjects who make up the literal content of his art—challenging the nature and significance of their roles within society. He also conceives of the pawn as it relates to us as viewers, highlighting our subjective perceptions of people, art and ideas. Most importantly, Sonhouse examines the pawn as it relates to his artistic practice. –Isolde Brielmaier.
Alternately flat and textural, atmospheric and brash, the resulting works evoke a host of classical and modern references to painting, particularly the tradition of portraiture. Sonhouse's recent portraits vary in scale, and depict both known and unknown figures, the former usually identifiable despite their vividly masked faces. In "Condoleeza Rice", 2007, for example, the only image of a woman in the show, the head of the Secretary of State floats over two overlapping circles of blue and yellow on a black ground. Even with her chin cut off, and face covered in a zigzag pattern of red and white (eyes, nostrils and mouth visible only through what are made to look like cut-out holes), the iconic features of the controversial Rice are instantly recognizable. The strongest identifier, ironically, is her hair, which Sonhouse sculpts out of steel wool, its contours made to formally echo that of the circles. Similarly, "Visually Impaired," 2008, is a large-scale work that features a 3/4 representation of a tall black man in sunglasses, shimmering blue suit, and black overcoat. Dressed in the trappings of his success, a mask of glitter covering his face, he appears to be engaged in some kind of sleight of hand. Like the visage of Rice, this ambiguous character is given a strange, incandescent power in Sonhouse's hands, one that evokes the razzle-dazzle world of politics and entertainment. If such portrayals are more narrative in nature than previous work by virtue of their well-known subjects, the sense of mystery and masquerade Sonhouse conjures is still very much intact. Indeed, the dynamic works in Pawnography suggest that all identity may be mediated these days, but what lies beneath the surface is still more ambiguous than we think.
A full color catalogue with essays by Greg Tate and Dr. Isolde Brielmaier will accompany the exhibition. Sonhouse's work was included in Legacies: Contemporary Artists Reflect on Slavery, New York Historical Society, New York, NY, 2006, and Frequency, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY, 2005. He is the recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant, and will be featured in the exhibition 30 Americans at the Rubell Family Collection in Miami from December 3, 2008 – May 30, 2009.
