You are here

John Westmark ~ Gender Patterns

Country:

City:

Categories:

Exhibition Type:

How many artists: 
1

How many exhibition works:

Date: 
Tuesday, 28 January 2020 to Friday, 28 February 2020
Opening: 
Friday, 14 February 2020 - 5:00pm to 8:00pm

John Westmark’s paintings convey a heightened attention to detail and strong sense of
compositional harmony that allow conceptual elements to be seamlessly woven through the
narrative without diminishing the aesthetic of the work. The primary material used in his work
is store-bought paper sewing patterns applied directly to the canvas. The patterns are
reinterpreted outside of their usual functional context as garment templates to create a subtle
intellectual dialogue that speaks of sociopolitical issues and gender. The female figure is presented as an agent of revolt, stoic martyr, or fantastical being. In every instance the identity of the figure(s) is denied by wraps, bonnets and bound faces, suggesting an anonymous “everywoman” or
veiled entity.
By embellishing the garment patterns with custom text from contemporary feminist writing
and criticism, Westmark creates a conceptual narrative alongside the existing material narrative of
imprinted assembly instructions. This added textual narrative disrupts the nostalgic or stereotypical
notion of “women’s work” and admits an aggressive feminist dialogue into the visual conversation.
The viewer is asked to read both the text embedded surface and the image.
 

Artist ( Description ): 

Painter John Westmark creates figurative mixed media paintings that use vintage sewing patterns to create anonymous figures.

Raised in the South, John Westmark’s first experience with artmaking was watching his mother draw on scraps of paper during long Babtist sermons. Today he is a painter who is interested in the metaphysical potential of unorthodox painting materials.

Telephone: 
(208)726-7585
Venue ( Address ): 

661 Sun Valley Road

Ketchum, Idaho

83340

Other events from Gilman Contemporary

view
John Westmark: On the Fold
01/25/2024 to 02/29/2024
view
Joanne Freeman: These Days
01/25/2024 to 02/29/2024
view
Deck the Walls
12/11/2023 to 01/24/2024
view
Kelly Ording: Pathways of Time
07/27/2023 to 08/22/2023

Pages

 

Related Shows This Week

view
BEYOND THE STREETS & CONTROL GALLERY PRESENT GRAFFITI ARCHIVE 1972/73: AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHS FROM GORDON MATTA-CLARK
03/01/2024 to 04/13/2024
view
Tomas Watson: Transitions
03/06/2024 to 04/13/2024
view
JUNE EDMONDS: Meditations on African Resilience
02/24/2024 to 04/13/2024
view
In the Garden: a platform for artists, poets, and performers
01/18/2024 to 04/11/2024
view
La Encañado
03/08/2024 to 04/19/2024
view
Oldies and Goodies
03/07/2024 to 04/08/2024
view
Ghost Town
03/28/2024 to 04/06/2024
view
Art of Freedom 2
03/18/2024 to 04/07/2024

Pages