“Contemporary Consciousness” Featuring JAMES WOLANIN and JANE MAXWELL

Cover: James Wolanin, Sun Bathing, Acrylic & Resin on Panel, 60 x 60 inches

CONTEMPORARY CONSCIOUSNESS Featuring JAMES WOLANIN and JANE MAXWELL June 1, 2017 – August 31, 2017 511A WEST 22ND ST, NEW YORK, NY 10011 WWW.JOANNEARTMANGALLERY.COM JOANNEARTMAN@AOL.COM 949.510.5481

CONTEMPORARY CONSCIOUSNESS The female body has long served as a muse in the arts, a lens through which the themes, issues and ongoing dialogue of the contemporary collective consciousness can be reflected. The work of James Wolanin and Jane Maxwell addresses this discourse through reflective interpretations of the feminine ideal through context, material and approach. In Wolanin’s work an idealized "snapshot" image is filtered through memories of the artist’s own personal history. Maxwell's imagery on the other hand, while also addressing the legacy of print advertisement in the digital age, looks at its ephemerality through aggregation and accumulation.

Biting into societal and personal constructs of femininity both artists commit to an encompassing approach, resulting in work that both entices and provokes.

James Wolanin elevates the subject of Americana through a vivid re-imagining of the type of imagery depicted in popular American advertisements from his childhood, rendered in a precise, hard-edged style, using surfboard resin as a finish. Unlike the idealized dream-girl stereotypes prevalent in contemporary media, Wolanin’s women lean towards the wholesome.

These captured moments are full of a winking charm simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. The flat planes of color, soft palette, and nod to vintage and minimalist tonal transitions help the works read on an abstract level, creating a deeper resonance between the compositional elements. Wolanin continuously plays with the imagery, working between the ambiguous and beguiling, redefining the narrative.

Jane Maxwell explores the complexities of the feminine ideal through the paper medium of current advertisements, brochures and original billboard papers. The work has a feel of the sculptural through the sheer physicality of this material, which is layered, cut and peeled into distinctive female silhouettes.

Exploring the ubiquitous and inundating nature of the advertisements, as well as our perception of them, the work presents a complex commentary. Completely deconstructing the original intent of the source material, the artist clothes and forms the female body out of this aggregated ephemera, synthesizing the idealized imagery of the advertisements into something with entirely new meaning.

These artists will inspire, provoke, engage and mesmerize. With visual perceptions always changing, peek behind the stories told and you're sure to find the right artistic expression!

Jane Maxwell, Yellow Houndstooth, Mixed Media with Resin on Panel, 48 x 48 inches

James Wolanin, A Summer Dream, Acrylic & Resin on Panel, 60 x 60 inches

Jane Maxwell, Orange Walking Girls, Mixed Media with Resin on Panel, 36 x 36 inches

James Wolanin, Mona Lisa of the Motorway, Acrylic & Resin on Panel, 48 x 48 inches

Jane Maxwell, Black and Red Walking Girls, Mixed Media with Resin on Panel, 60 x 60 inches

James Wolanin, Night Drive, Acrylic & Resin on Panel, 48 x 48 inches

James Wolanin, Red Dress Driver, Acrylic & Resin on Panel, 45 x 55 inches

Jane Maxwell, Map Coat, Mixed Media with Resin on Panel, 77 x 36 inches

James Wolanin, Sunshine Girls, Acrylic & Resin on Panel, 45 x 55 inches

Jane Maxwell, Pink and Yellow Girls, Mixed Media with Resin on Panel, 40 x 70 inches

James Wolanin, The Arrival, Acrylic & Resin on Panel, 55 x 45 inches

Published in conjunction with the exhibition: JAMES WOLANIN & JANE MAXWELL: Contemporary Consciousness June 1, 2017 - August 31, 2017 JoAnne Artman Gallery 511A West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011 Catalogue © JoAnne Artman Gallery Artwork © James Wolanin & Jane Maxwell