Dennis Hollingsworth
April 18 – May 31, 2008
Opening Reception:
Friday, April 18, 6 – 8 p.m.
Michael Kohn Gallery
8071 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel. 323.658.8088
Fax. 323.658.8068
http://www.kohngallery.com
Michael Kohn Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by Los Angeles-based artist Dennis Hollingsworth. This will be Hollingsworth’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles in the past five years. The artist continues to explore the physicality of abstract painting by composing sculptural daubs and delicate mounds of paint onto the canvas. The textured layers of paint simultaneously form chaotic and harmonious patterns in varied directions resulting in an impressive level of depth and balance. A race against time, Hollingsworth’s “wet-on-wet” and unpredictable approach creates a striking array of color and motion.
In his earlier work, Hollingsworth would shear sheets of paint off of the canvas using custom made tools and knives, thus flattening the surface of the painting. In his recent practice, the paintings have grown to be larger and more abstract, forming mountains of paint, also known as “monads,” that protrude into the viewer’s space. From experimentation, accidents, and even repairing the fragile, sculptural elements of his paintings, Hollingsworth has recently come across a new technique in which he paints directly onto the plastic wrap of store-bought canvases. Using what he calls a “peeling process,” Hollingsworth waits for the material to toughen and then separates the paint from the plastic wrap support before placing it directly onto the canvas.
Dennis Hollingsworth received his M.F.A. at Claremont Graduate School in 1991. He has exhibited widely throughout Europe and the U.S. Solo exhibitions include Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo (2007); Miguel Marcos Gallery, Madrid (2006); Nicole Klagsbrun, New York (2006); Galerie André Buchmann, Berlin (2005); Galerie Mark Muller, Zurich (2004); and Chac Mool Gallery, Los Angeles (2003). Recent group exhibitions include Some Paintings… curated by Doug Harvey, Track 16, Santa Monica, CA (2008); Flowing, Pulsing, Beating, Burning, Glendale College Art Gallery, Glendale, CA (2008); Paper Bombs curated by Bart Exposito, Jack Hanley Gallery, Los Angeles (2007); and Quirky, Westport Arts Center, Westport, CT (2007).
For further inquiries and press materials please contact Laura Sumner at laura@kohngallery.com or 323.658.8088.