CLICK HERE TO VIEW/PURCHASE ARTWORK BY DENNIS MCNETT
//
CLICK HERE TO VIEW/PURCHASE ARTWORK BY ALEX YANES

Paradigm Gallery is pleased to present Good Medicine, an exhibition featuring sculptural works in wood by Dennis McNett and Alex Yanes. New individual works by the artists will be displayed alongside pieces that have been created collaboratively between their studios. The show considers the concept of positive energy and how moods, situations, or experiences can be shaped by the presence of a strong force for good, while focusing broadly on the many ways that spirituality is practiced and explored in contemporary culture. Symbols, totems, and signs in a range of sizes are hand-carved and crafted from wood, resin, and acrylic to manifest the uplifting theme behind the works in three dimensions. Good Medicine will be on view from May 25 - July 21, 2018.

Both artists have practices that revolve around ideas of tradition, personal and communal narratives, nostalgia, and heritage. They express these themes in a blended style of neo-pop and folk art, drawing on their proximity to the subculture of skateboarding. With bold graphic elements and intricate detailing, the wooden sculptures, carvings, and installations portray a deeply personal and self-reflexive approach to art-making and craft, inviting the viewer to contemplate one’s quest for self-actualization through the assemblages.

Dennis McNett is known for his large-scale woodcut sculptures that fuse relief printmaking with traditional wood carving. Steeped in domestic and international mythologies, McNett often receives the seeds of concepts for pieces through meditation and his spiritual practice that he then renders in his wood carvings, wood-cut panels, and prints. Over 15 works will be on display in Good Medicine– including Big Mary’s Resurrection, an example of McNett’s dedication to clearing areas of bad energy left behind by past events. Also on view will be a new Owl Spirit sculpture series and collaged panels. His birds of prey and Norse images exist in high-contrast, with alternating deep and shallow black marks that delineate swaths of colored or natural wood surfaces.

Alex Yanes constructs his surreal layered, textural sculptures from wood, epoxy resin, acrylic and spray enamel. The combination of materials gives his work a subtle gloss, with clean colors and polish. All Yanes’s 7 works in Good Medicine, including a large wall installation, are brand new and showcase his signature pop graphics. The postmodern mashups reference funhouse aesthetics, with a nod to comics, cartoons, and vintage typography. Inspired by his family, hometown of Miami, and subcultural imagery, Yanes assembles disparate components to craft unique characters on both large- and small-scales.

Brought together because of similar approaches to craft, Good Medicine unites the singular talents of McNett and Yanes under the promise of continual spiritual renewal.

About Dennis McNett || Austin-based artist Dennis McNett (1972) received his MFA from Pratt institute in 2004, where he taught until 2012. He has shown internationally at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Me Collection Museum in Berlin, MOHS exhibit in Copenhagen, Galleria Patricia Armocida, Milano, Italy, and nationally including The Ft. Wayne Museum of Art, Museum of Print History, Houston, TX, Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville, FL, and Jonathan LeVine Gallery, NYC, Known Gallery, LA. A visiting artist/lecturer at RISD, Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art, Mexi-Arte Museum, Universidad De Monterrey Monterrey, Mexico, the John Michelle Kohler Art Center, among others, McNett has also shown in the window displays of Barney’s in NYC, had his illustrations displayed on dozens of Antihero skateboards, and has murals/street art in NYC, Philadelphia and Richmond, VA.

About Alex Yanes || After briefly studying graphic design, Miami-based artist Alex Yanes (1977) pursued a career in fine art in 2006, exhibiting at galleries in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, Philadelphia, London, Paris, Berlin, Australia and Japan. Bringing together his Cuban background, his hometown, and curiosity about subcultures into a signature pop style, Yanes has collaborated with brands such as Adidas, Red Bull, Sony, The Learning Channel, Vans, Kidrobot, UsTwo Games, Delta Airlines, Coca Cola, and Rag & Bone, and has had his work acquired and collected by institutions such as The Long Beach Museum of Art, Fidelity Investments and Capital One. He also works with charitable institutions that help children: St. Jude’s Hospital, The Dan Marino Foundation, Miami Children’s Museum, NBA Cares, The Miami Children’s Hospital, and The Children’s Trust.

About Paradigm Gallery || Paradigm Gallery + Studio® exhibits contemporary artwork from around the world with a focus on Philadelphia-based artists. Established February 2010, the gallery began as a project between cofounders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston, as a space in which to create artwork, to exhibit the work of their peers, and to invite the members of the community to create and collect in a welcoming gallery setting. To this day the gallery still aims to welcome all collectors, from first time to lifelong, and continues to support accessible work that welcomes a wide audience.

Location:
746 S 4th St Philadelphia, PA 19147

Media Contact:
Lainya Magaña, A&O PR
347 395 4155
lainya@aopublic.com

Press:
https://www.phillyvoice.com/artists-alex-yanes-and-dennis-mcnett-explore-positivity-in-their-new-exhibition-good-medicine/
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/installation/dennis-mcnett-and-alex-yanes-collaborate-in-philadelphia-for-their-new-show-good-medicine/
https://www.quietlunch.com/when-your-gravity-fails-and-negativity-dont-pull-you-through-or-good-medicine-for-bad-vibes/

CLICK HERE TO VIEW/PURCHASE ARTWORK BY DENNIS MCNETT


CLICK HERE TO VIEW/PURCHASE ARTWORK BY ALEX YANES