Michael Zelehoski . Objecthood . September 09–October 10, 2010
View works in the exhibition.PRESS PREVIEW: Wednesday, September 8th, 5-8pm. RSVP: media [at] christinaray.com.
Press Contact:
Shayna McClelland
Susan Grant Lewin Associates
shayna@susangrantlewin.com
212.947.4557
MICHAEL ZELEHOSKI’S NEW YORK DEBUT
OBJECTHOOD: A SOLO EXHIBITION AT CHRISTINA RAY
September 9 - October 10, 2010
Michael Zelehoski’s recent work involves the literal collapse of three-dimensional objects and structures into the two-dimensional picture plane. He begins by deconstructing the object, exploring spatial dimension as he cuts it into sometimes hundreds of abstract fragments. He then reassembles the pieces two-dimensionally and fills the negative spaces with carefully fitted pieces of wood, creating a solid plane in which the object is trapped in a parody of its former perspective.
As the process brings sculptural elements into the realm of painting, so it brings actual, quotidian objects into the realm of art. Zelehoski works almost exclusively with everyday objects, but by giving them autonomy and internal coherence, he is able to reveal their intrinsic value as art. The viewer is drawn to the compositional unity of the piece as well as the unitary object confronting them. A chair, for example, remains a chair, formally and materially, even as its function is negated. It is at once the aesthetic event, the representation and the object itself.
Zelehoski draws on Modernist explorations of spatial perception and representation. In his work we clearly see elements of collage and assemblage, and the influence readymades, objets trouvés and combines. However, Zelehoski’s work is firmly rooted in ideas associated with minimalism – although he often comes opposite conclusions – particularly the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty. “The evidence of the perceived thing lies in its concrete aspect, in the very texture of its qualities and in the equivalence among all its sensible properties. Before our individual existence the world is true; it exists.” But, asserts Zelehoski, the world has no consciousness of itself. It is we who create a consciousness of reality through direct sensual knowledge.
Zelehoski’s work also deals with psychogeography – the idea that our experience is shaped through our interactions with the physical world – by distilling ephemeral objects into works that transcend time and space. This overlaps with the gallery’s mission to present work dealing with contemporary psychogeography.
About Michael Zelehoski
Michael Zelehoski was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1979 and grew up in the Berkshire Hills. He attended Simon’s Rock College of Bard and completed his BA in Fine Art from the Universidad Finis Terrae, in Santiago, Chile. During this time, he apprenticed with the late Chilean sculptor Felix Maruenda.
Zelehoski has exhibited nationally and internationally including a recent solo show at The Berkshire Museum and is the recipient of various grants and awards, including a recent Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship and Artslant’s Golden Frame Award. He divides his time between the Berkshire Hills, New York and Los Angeles.
CHRISTINA RAY is an innovative gallery and creative catalyst in New York whose mission, grounded by the concept of psychogeography, is to discover and present the most important contemporary artwork exploring the relationship between people and places. For more information, visit www.christinaray.com. Gallery hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6pm. Location: 30 Grand Street, Ground Floor, between Thompson Street and 6th Avenue.
Gallery Contact:
Christina Ray
Gallery Director
info [at] christinaray.com
212.334.0204