Jason McCoy Inc. is
pleased to present recent abstract paintings by Bo Joseph with antique
African sculptures, which were selected by the artist from important
private collections.
Joseph's six paintings and one large drawing exemplify his
abstracted efforts to reconcile diverse and esoteric ideologies and
cultures. Ritual African art is one of Joseph’s many archetypal
touchstones, which he sources from reproductions in books or auction
catalogues. He sees these artifacts as distillations of cultural wisdom
that transcend their function. Through rigorous techniques he
deconstructs and hybridizes these forms to examine how their essences
might persist. By presenting Joseph's works in juxtaposition with
African art, this exhibition brings the dialogue full circle.
"I have always been compelled by collisions that occur at the
intersections of seemingly disparate phenomena. Repeatedly, I find
unions unfold which surpass initial disparities. In the case of African
art, I am fascinated by how these emblems of mystified knowledge
transform each time I experience them in new contexts. I am grateful to
the lenders for affording the intersections in this exhibition.”
Joseph's process is a kind of synthetic archeology, with the
burial and excavation of referential imagery. He begins by superimposing
stencils and outlines of objects, creating elaborate hybrid
configurations. These organic and heavily layered conglomerates evolve
through techniques that repeatedly put the image at risk. By using
de-constructive techniques like rinsing, sanding and masking, Joseph
alludes to the transience of reality. The compositions are at once
ethereal yet familiar where unexpected contexts are initiated and new
understandings can be discovered.
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Joseph has
exhibited throughout the United States. His work is in the collections
of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO; The
Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, OH; and the Guilin Art Museum,
Guilin, China. Joseph lives and works in New York City.