 Husky, 2005 Graphite and colored pencil on paper, 79 x 77.5 inches John J. O'Connor One Hundred Days In a Year Pierogi is pleased to present our second one-person exhibition of John J. O'Connor's large-scale works on paper, rendered primarily in graphite and colored pencil. O'Connor develops idiosyncratic systems of mark making, beginning with data and statistics - from rates of obesity and alcoholism by state, to temperature prediction and chaos theory. He develops numerical abstractions of texts as diverse as Nostradamus' prophecy relating to religious wars, the Atkins diet, Dante's Inferno, the Farmer's Almanac, and Bible Code II, to determine where to place marks and how to shape them. O'Connor looks for similarities - principles or systems that may guide seemingly disparate phenomena. The systems and resulting drawings convey the complexity and interconnectedness of every day life, as well as the hierarchical processing of chance experiences. O'Connor cites antecedents as diverse as John Cage, Rube Goldberg, and Alfred Jensen for his work. According to O'Connor: "My drawings, then, are the graphic representations of layered systems. I usually begin with a simple idea, which then evolves with greater complexity. All the diagrammatic notations remain on the image combined with the fully realized abstract form. Equally important is my attempt to ultimately create an autonomous aesthetic image." O'Connor's work was recently on view in PS1's "Greater New York 2005" exhibition and is included in the collection of MoMA, NYC. Exhibition: 18 November - 23 December, 2005 Gallery hours: Fri-Mon 12 am - 6 pm and by appointment PIEROGI 2000 Gallery 1 177 North 9th Street USA-Brooklyn, NY 11211 Telephone 00718 599 2144 www.pierogi2000.com |
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