Conor McGrady & Roberto Visani

OPENING RECEPTION
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24TH 7-10PM

Exhibit runs through April 22th

Carol Jazzar is pleased to present, full spectrum dominance, a two person exhibition featuring paintings by Conor McGrady and sculptures by Roberto Visani, both Brooklyn based artists. This will be the first exhibit at the gallery for both artists who will be in attendance for the opening reception on Friday, February 24th, 2012.

Full spectrum Dominance considers the manifestation of dominance on global politics. Through the use of reductive strategies and familiar icons, both artists reveal distinct elements of the economic, cultural and political brutalities that surround us. Visani's sculptures make direct reference to these phenomena by articulating the primary physical instrument of conquest and revolution, the gun. His transformation of weapons into art objects inverts the violence associated with them into calls for cultural adaptation and empowerment. McGrady's stark paintings of white men communicate the shadowy underpinnings of transactions often shrouded in mystery. Through implication and absence, they reveal the machinations which exist out of our purview and communicate an ominous sense of danger.

Roberto Visani started his now extensive series of guns after living in Ghana, West Africa in the late 90’s. Created using found objects and unconventional materials, his sculptures recontextualize guns as totems of cultural, political and historical efficacy through the use of symbolism and improvisation.

Visani holds a BFA from Mankato State University, MN and a MFA from the University of Michigan, MI. Since 1998, Visani has shown his works extensively in museums and galleries throughout the US and abroad including The New Museum, NY, Barbican Gallery in London, England, The Studio Museum, Harlem, NY, The Bronx Museum, NY and The Ghana National Museum in Accra, Ghana.

Conor McGrady’s paintings focus on the role of authority in our society. Done in black and white gouache and surrounded by expanses of white space, these large scale works on paper portray men performing social rituals from which translate a sense of selfhood and power.

McGrady holds a BA from the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, UK and a MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, IL. McGrady has shown his works extensively since 1994 throughout the US and Europe and was part of the 2002 Whitney Museum Biennal.

Carol Jazzar Gallery is Open Saturday and Sunday 1PM to 6PM and by Appointment.