JAMES CULLINANE – PORTALS

Posted on 2016-10-31

Cullinane begins each diptych along the seam between the panels. Working from the center out the initial drawing emerges from the line of separation between the panels to create a unified whole. Each line begins and ends in an ink dot as he randomly fills the surface of the panel regulating his breathing as he draws. In some compositions Cullinane uses an old-fashioned mouth atomizer, which use a simple tube mechanism and the artist’s breath to spray ink across the surface creating gradations of color and value. Looking like open books or, perhaps, Rorschach tests, the scale of each piece is intimate and relates directly to the human form, specifically to the artist’s body. The width of the large horizontal diptychs is about Cullinane’s average reach and when turned vertically the diptychs resemble the size of windows. The varying densities of lines, dots and sprays alter our perceptions of form and space. The resulting compositions undulate across the surface, expanding and contracting in and out of a perceptual space.

Opposite – Dirty As Heaven, 2016

Exhibition runs through to December 23rd, 2016

Robert Henry Contemporary
56 Bogart St
Brooklyn
New York
NY 11206

www.roberthenrycontemporary.com