NEW YORK, NY.- Deeper and More Troublesome, the sequel to Corey Escoto's solo exhibition Deep Trouble at Regina Rex Gallery in Fall 2015, highlights Corey's fascination with the influence of the Hollywood film industry, the mainstream media, and their connection to the governing political apparatus. Corey's work begins with a series of 8x10 Polaroid prints which are made through a process of cutting and registering stencils, in camera, and sequentially exposing the entire film to engineer graphic and photographic illusions of space, form, and text. These laboriously crafted photographs subvert their own instantaneity and further the longstanding dialogue between the mediums of painting and photography. Oftentimes the resulting images become the blueprint for sculpture or immersive installations.
Through works such as “Let Me Break It Down For You,” “Smoking Gun,” and “Run for It,” Corey reflects on the current global state of tension across class, race, and religion that is often manifested through the potent mixture of masculinity and violence. Taken all together, scriptwriting strategies of creating conflict, entertainment, and suspense contribute to the overall tone of a blockbuster action film. With a specific interest in large production houses and their documented affiliation and collaboration with the Pentagon, the centerpiece of the show is a urethane resin and foam extrusion of the iconic 20th century fox logo. The logo, first envisioned and painted by Emil Kosa Jr. in 1933 (and later appropriated by Ed Rusca in his iconic 1962 painting, Large Trademark with Eight Spotlights), alongside the triumphant fanfare, acts as a necessary cue to direct the audience’s attention while priming the viewer for a willing suspension of their disbelief. The upended logo, translated to an exaggerated sculptural form, further reinforces its own monumental status while suggesting the power and cultural influence of the moving image.
Corey’s works are currently held in several major museum collections, including: MIT List Visual Arts Center (Cambridge, MA), Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, PA), and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, IL). Recent solo and group exhibitions include Regina Rex (New York, NY), Halsey McKay Gallery (East Hampton, NY), Samson Projects, (Boston, MA), and Corbett vs Dempsey (Chicago, IL - December 2016). Corey is represented by Regina Rex, NY.
Sunday, Lisbon/London-based artist Bruno Pacheco’s first solo exhibition in the USA, explores his interest in painting and its histories. The exhibition consists entirely of paintings on paper. Pacheco’s process involves the constant repetition of an image and its continuous alteration. This repetition implies a permanent search for a point of neutrality in the painting’s plan. The subject of the picture and painting are inseparable. Bruno’s paintings are often based on found imagery from the internet and his personal photographs. Selected subject matters range from patterned blankets to mysterious landscapes.
Bruno’s works are held in several major collections, including the Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon), Serralves Museum (Porto), the Kadist Foundation, UBS Collection, and the National Art Gallery of China, Beijing. Bruno has held solo exhibitions at Cultergest, Lisbon and Porto, the Casa de Historias Paula REGO, Cascais, and Filomena Soares Gallery (Lisbon) and Hollybush Gardens (London). His work was part of the 2014 Sao Paolo Biennial, and has also been included in exhibitions at the Whitechapel Gallery (London), The Mackintosh Museum (Glasgow), Mudam (Luxemburg) and Serralves Museum (Porto).
