Press Release – Gary Taxali solo show “Unforget Me” at Jonathan Levine Gallery Feb 22/14
Unforget Me
Solo exhibition of new works by Gary Taxali
529 West 20th Street
February 22—March 22, 2014
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 22, 6—8pm
NEW YORK, NY (January 22, 2014) — Jonathan LeVine Gallery is pleased to present Unforget Me, new works by Toronto-based artist Gary Taxali in what will be his second solo exhibition at the gallery. Unforget Me includes works on paper and panel, including the artist’s largest piece to date.
Taxali creates hand-drawn typography and expressive, cartoon-like figures with layers of printmaking techniques such as rubber stamps and silkscreen. Known for a graphic style and retro aesthetic, his imagery is largely inspired by vintage animation and printed ephemera (comics, advertising and packaging). Taxali works with multiple mediums and utilizes a variety of found materials like old book covers and torn, age-worn, scribbled-on pages.
Taxali describes the exhibition as exploring: “themes of love, separation, isolation, unease, excitement, revelations and absolute joy through the overarching theme of paradoxes. In these works, my characters try to make sense of their situations and the dualities therein. Many of the works contain opposite reactions, both in concept and execution. I’ve also employed the use of non-existent words. An effective way for me to convey all of this is through humor, both light and dark, mocking the flaws of the human condition yet serving as a sweet reminder that nothing should ever be taken absolutely seriously—I try to unforget that every day.”
“Gary Taxali visually blends now with then. His style, inspired by vintage comics and advertising art, is repurposed with the goal of communicating the ironies and comical essence of pop-culture. His work is at once alluring and endearing. Despite the vintage look, he is neither maudlin nor nostalgic. His imagery is rich in satiric verve.”—Steven Heller
“Gary Taxali is one of those rare artists whose work is immediately inviting and familiar, yet idiosyncratic and unmistakable. He has created a universe of characters, slogans and motifs reminiscent of ‘50s advertising, comics and painted signs but rendered in a minimal, sophisticated style. Though much of Gary’s work appears to be about struggle and disappointment, there is gleeful mischief, beauty and poetic irony as well.”—Shepard Fairey
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gary Taxali was born in Chandigarh, India in 1968 and raised in Toronto, Canada. In 1991, Taxali graduated from Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD). Taxali is an award winning illustrator and his fine artwork has been exhibited in galleries in the United States and Europe as well as museums such as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Contemporary Art Museum in Rome. In 2011, two books of his work were released: Mono Taxali, published by 279 Editions, and I Love You, OK?, published by teNeues. In 2012, The Royal Canadian Mint released a special edition of six 25¢ coins which feature Taxali’s artwork and typography.
ABOUT JONATHAN LEVINE GALLERY
Jonathan LeVine Gallery is committed to new and cutting edge art. Our roots go back to 1995, when Jonathan’s life-long participation in punk and underground music grew into a curatorial experiment with the visual culture that surrounded him. We moved to Chelsea in 2005, with an eye towards honoring and connecting with the history and context of Post War art. We contribute to the dialogue by challenging the conventions of the canon – exploring the terrain of the high/low and everything in between. Jonathan LeVine Gallery is located at 529 West 20th Street and 557C West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011. For further information, please visit: www.jonathanlevinegallery.com, email: info@jonathanlevinegallery.com or call: 212.243.3822.
529 West 20th Street + 557C West 23rd Street | New York, NY 10011 | www.jonathanlevinegallery.com
