FOLIO
J. Johnson Gallery opens its fourteenth season with Modulism, a cross-discipline exhibition exploring the relationship between modular, geometric forms and negative space. The exhibition features the art of Dolf James and Andrew Zimmerman, two artists whose work reimagines simple forms, with a close attention to the details and processes used to create them.
New York-based artist Andrew Zimmerman’s bold, three-dimensional paintings appear almost planar when juxtaposed with Dolf James’s large-scale metal sculptures filling the west gallery, however both echo a shared minimalist sensibility and emphasis on seriality. The impact of the combined imagery evokes the contrast of each artist’s creative energy.
Since completing his B.F.A. at Rhode Island School of Design in 1991, Andrew Zimmerman has been making a name for himself with colorful, geometric wall reliefs that straddle the line between painting and sculpture.
“The foundation of my work grows out of the rich history of modern painting, from Picasso to Jean Arp to Richard Tuttle. I am interested exploring the intersection of painting and sculpture, of art and design, of the hand-made and the mass-produced. I am excited by the tension that arises from situating my work in between these traditional categories,” Zimmerman says. His work is governed by a process he invents and re-invents, to create painted marks and assembled constructions. Each body of work often looks distinct from the previous collection, but the underlying pursuit is consistent — to discover and develop a process for making new forms.
Dolf James is a Fernandina-based artist who has remained at the forefront of North Florida sculpture, while tirelessly contributing his ideas, talents, and time to galvanizing Jacksonville’s creative community. A recipient of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s 2014 Arts Innovator award, James works out of his airy studio in Riverside’s CoRK Arts District.
While J. Johnson Gallery’s established focus is showcasing national talent, the gallery found James’s current sculptural direction quite compelling and a natural accompaniment to Andrew Zimmerman’s assembled geometries. Like Zimmerman, James embraces the tension produced by creative experimentation and manipulates simple forms to create engaging, multi-dimensional works of art. A variety of James’s works will be offered in Modulism, including small-scale steel geometric studies and large aluminum sculptures.
Modulism will run through November 7th. Visit the J. Johnson Gallery at 177 4th Avenue North, Jacksonville Beach. For more information go to jjohnsongallery.com or call 435-3200.
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