Gordon Terry

The first time I encountered Gordon Terry's work was during a trip to Paris in June of 2002. I had spent the day being pushed around by Parisians and tourists (of which I was one) in long museum lines. Worn out and lost I stumbled into this artists show at the g-module gallery. In Terry's work I found some odd little narratives illustrating the exhibition's title "Black Holes, Bohemians, Colonials and Boudoirs". In his current one person show, "The Supernatural World in Which I am Professionally Involved"
he creates pristine moments of color with a touch of irreverent humor. According to the exhibitions press release and an essay in the accompanying catalog his interests are encyclopedic; spanning Colonial American genealogy to drug culture, alchemy and mysticism.

Upon entering the gallery you will encounter medium to smaller works with pumped up color. Of particular interest are three works from his "Idealized Setting" series. These illustrative works on paper depict colonial homes, or baroque interiors with sickeningly sweet blobs of plastic fantastic acrylic color intruding into the empty narrative all framed in cast black rubber. A few more steps into the gallery you will encounter great gobs of paint. The work stands at operatic attention. Terry's paintings have a prefabricated consciousness in that they first appear to be joyously spontaneous but upon further examination have a considered "design" that cuts across the show. All of the paintings ranging in size from 12x12" to a mammoth 96x72" are plastic on plastic, i.e. acrylic paint placed, or poured onto acrylic panels. Some have a glossy black reflective painting ground interrupting your reflection with a grid of candy sweet preconceived paint splotches. Other paintings, such as "Drug Cocktailed Excursions into Black Lore" have a translucent panel revealing the construction beneath and underscoring the artificiality of the paint depicting anything but paint in flatland. Terry's work has rich references to pattern painting and cool painterly pulp abstraction with nods to painters such as Phillip Taaffe, Ross Bleckner or Frank Holliday. Mr. Terry has put on an ambitious show. It's worth taking the time to visit.

Exhibition Information
The Supernatural World in Which I am Professionally Involved
Through November 15, 2003
Mike Weiss Gallery
520 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011
212-691-6899
www.mikeweissgallery.com

Photographs Courtesy of the Mike Weiss Gallery

Review written for the Gay City News, New York City
Link to the article on gaycitynews.com
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