Tom McGlynn: Very Much Like (Pictures of Nothing)
SILVERMAN AND HAMILTON SQUARE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION present
Tom McGlynn: Very Much Like (Pictures of Nothing)
Opening Reception: December 7, 2012, 7—9 pm
Hamilton Square Condominium
232 Pavonia Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07302
201.434.1000
Exhibition Run: December 7, 2012 – March 25, 2013
Tom McGlynn, Survey 14, 2012, acrylic and gouache on wood panel, 30 x 40 inches
“I’d like my work to feel like a shot to the solar plexus” —Tom McGlynn
SILVERMAN AND HAMILTON SQUARE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION present “Tom McGlynn: Very Much Like (Pictures of Nothing),” curated by Brendan Carroll. This exhibition presents a new series of paintings, titled Survey and Plans and Stations, made in acrylic and gouache on wood panel. Accompanying these paintings is an outdoor installation, which invites pedestrian interaction. The theme of vacancy unites both bodies of work.
Tom McGlynn, tilted stage and empty sign (preliminary drawing)
Tom McGlynn’s paintings, drawings and sculptures evade categorization. Working in the tradition of Minimalism, McGlynn makes paintings of vibrant, geometric shapes, which examine the act of seeing. Though restrained, the application of paint suggests the artist’s hand. The appearance is spartan, but the viewpoint is light. He restricts himself to reticent bands of colors (blue, red, yellow, orange, green, etc.), which hover in vivid fields. Colors are not stable and uniform, but contradicting and unpredictable. They differ in value, saturation, brightness, and purity. Although his palette is nonnatural, it is open to interpretation. For example, yellow could suggest high visibility jackets, a school bus, Starburst candy, or something else.
Tom McGlynn, Survey 16, 2012, acrylic and gouache on wood panel, 30 x 40 inches
At first glance, the compositions appear ordered, balanced. On closer inspection, the rectangular bands are not symmetrical, but interspersed and uneven. They refute uniformity. He’s not interested in the purity of form. (He has said that growing up in New Jersey may have influenced this particular take on things). His visual language is drawn from a deadpan observation of the world around him—television and computer screens, public architecture and urban signage. These sources can evoke certain mediated behaviors, yet McGlynn’s work is more about the immediacy of simply looking at stuff rather than being determined by any “screened” response.
Tom McGlynn, Station, 2012, acrylic and gouache on wood panel, 36 x 48 inches
McGlynn is an artist, curator, and writer. His work is included in many national and international collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Smithsonian, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York, NY; and Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, NJ. The New York Times has reviewed his exhibitions and Artforum International Magazine has featured his work on its cover. He has held teaching positions at Parsons, The New School, New York, NY; Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; Castleton State College of Vermont, Castleton, Vermont; Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, NJ. Currently, he is teaching at Essex County College in Newark, NJ. McGlynn received his B.F.A. in printmaking from Ramapo College in 1979. He received his M.F.A. in painting from Hunter College in 1996. He lives and works in Hoboken, NJ.
The exhibition will be on view at Hamilton Square Condominiums through March 25, 2013. For further information, please visit us at SilvermanBuilding.com or call number (201) 435-8000. Tom McGlynn: Very Much Like (Pictures of Nothing) is the twelfth exhibition that Brendan Carroll will organize for SILVERMAN.
SILVERMAN has presented the works of Valeri Larko, Tenesh Webber, Glenn Garver, Jennifer Krause Chapeau, Michelle Doll, Tim Heins, Megan Maloy, Laurie Riccadonna, Thomas John Carlson, Tim Daly, Ann Flaherty, Scott Taylor, Jason Seder, Sara Wolfe, Beth Gilfilen, Andrzej Lech, Hiroshi Kumagai, Tom McGlynn, Victoria Calabro, Asha Ganpat, Darren Jones, Ryan Roa,Laura Napier, Risa Puno, Nyugen E. Smith, Amanda Thackray, and Kai Vierstra.
Brendan Carroll 
Tom, Nice images,, I like your intense color combo’s.
Good write up… I was a little confused about the “mediated behaviors”..had to look that one up. At first glance I thought that it said ” medicated behaviors” , obviously I was thinking of my own work in that case. You are intended and planned , not medicated.
Good show.
Max & Buck
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