AJ Fosik & Bill McRight Exhibition

AJ Fosik & Bill McRight Count Back From Nothing July 16, 2010 - August 14, 2010 Opening Reception: Friday, July 16, 7pm - 10pm Artists in attendance Free and open to the public Please note that the online preview of this exhibition is now available for viewing at www.davidbsmithgallery.com David B. Smith Gallery is pleased to announce Count Back From Nothing, a joint exhibition featuring new work by AJ Fosik and Bill McRight. The exhibition will run July 16th through August 14th, 2010. Please join us for the opening reception on Friday, July 16th from 7pm - 10pm. Count Back From Nothing suggests a shared fierceness, edge and intensity that both McRight and Fosik express through sculpture. In this exhibition, McRight's handcrafted shivs are being shown with AJ Fosik's vibrant, three-dimensional creatures. AJ Fosik uses wood, paint, and found materials to create three-dimensional animalistic beings. Fosik's sculptures begin with individually cut and varnished pieces of wood that are then arranged into symmetrical and hypnotic patterns and become the faces of mythical entities. Hypnotic eyes pierce the viewer's gaze and sharp teeth protrude from the mouths of Fosik's creations that are embellished with a consistent rhythm of vibrant color and shape. Either constructed as freestanding forms or wall-mounted pieces, Fosik's work references taxidermy practices and is evocative of American Folk Art. Similar to Bill McRight's new body of work, Fosik's alluring constructions are often inspired by subversive cultural influences that shift complacency and rely on the reappropriation of familiar symbols and images. Bill McRight's works include linoleum cut prints, drawings and three-dimensional objects. In his most recent body of work, he has crafted shivs and handmade weapons from found materials. When making the shivs, McRight draws upon the traditions of the prehistoric, fashioning blades from shards of obsidian. The artist collects materials found in streets and at flea markets and repurposes them into crude weapons by utilizing discarded bits of metal, old screwdrivers and broken baseball bats, converting them into bludgeoning weapons. These items are given new life as not only utilitarian, but also decorative art objects. The artist's work is influenced by an interest in individuals and groups of people who exist on the fringes of society, including soccer hooligans, street gangs, prisoners and metal heads. Growing up with punk rock music and skateboarding, McRight is fascinated with individuals and groups who depart from mainstream society. About the Artists Bill McRight was born in Decatur, Georgia and grew up in Georgia and Florida. McRight holds a BFA from Winthrop University in South Carolina and an MFA in Printmaking from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He currently lives and works in Philadelphia and is part of the artist collective Space 1026. AJ Fosik was born and raised in southeast Michigan and currently lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fosik received a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design in New York. About David B. Smith Gallery David B. Smith Gallery is Denver's venue for emerging contemporary art. Since its founding in 2007, the gallery has been committed to presenting intelligent and culturally relevant exhibitions featuring work from some of today's most compelling artists with growing international reputations. Through participation in leading art fairs and extensive media coverage, David Smith has cultivated a strong regional, national and international collector audience. In August 2008, The New York Times hailed the Gallery as offering "an exciting contrast of cutting edge works." In addition to its curatorial program, David B. Smith maintains an active publishing division, Limited Addiction, which produces limited edition artist prints and monographs.