Max Greis: October 2010

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Utopia & Wallpaper

I'm participating in a really cool group exhibition, opened from 10/16 - 11/21 at the Catskill Art Society- 48 Main St. Livingston Manor, NY. Will be displaying one of my paintings, and my first video piece. If you're up that way, definitely check it out. Show information & images below.

Archaic Armageddon - 2009 - digital video

Erosion - 2004 - collage/acrylic - 48"x30"

“Utopia and Wallpaper: The Real and the Ideal in the Pursuit of Social Democracy, October 16 - November 21, 2010. This exhibition, guest curated by Joel Carreiro and Brett DePalma, takes inspiration from the fact that the Livingston Manor Central School houses six amazing 19th century panels created by artist Jean-Julien Deltil from the famous Zuber et Cie wallpaper company, which depict idealized visions of what America was or might become. Artists were asked to respond directly to the implications the panels embody for the possibility of social democracy, then and now. Artists participating in this show are Tate Billings, Amy Chan, Andrew Chan, Peter Edlund, Elizabeth Ennis, Max Greis, Melanie Printup Hope, Yashua Klos, Rosalie Morris, John Morton, Jesse Sachs, Jackie Shatz and Yeongkuk Yu.”

My Artwork

The world is changing faster than ever, from global warming and the loss of ecosystems, to the destruction of indigenous cultures and people. Industrialization has radically altered humanity’s relationship to nature, with simultaneously empowering and endangering effects.

I create landscapes that reflect this theme, penetrating time and space in an exploration of this process of transformation. Whether in painting, video, or diorama, I utilize collage built from many individual landscape scenes, seamlessly blended together to construct a globalized vision. The world that emerges is composed of my forms, thoughts, and narratives. I call it the Archaic Armageddon.

My work evolves out of several art history genres: the use of collage and method of juxtaposition recall the Dada and Surrealist traditions, creating dream-like, otherworldly atmospheres. The stylization and landscape perspective reflect a range of Asian traditions, including Chinese hand scrolls, Japanese woodblock printing, and Persian miniatures. Early Northern Renaissance masters, specifically the work of Bruegel and Bosch, inspire the apocalyptic and hyper sensibility of the narrative. As a New Yorker, the Hudson River School is also reflected in my work, continuing the American tradition of speaking through landscape.

http://www.maxgreis.com/

Max Greis

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Utopia & Wallpaper

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