For November Projects Gallery will feature Philadelphia artist Jim Brossy’s second solo show “Left Behind”. Known for his wildly expressive figurative mixed media assemblages, Brossy focuses on the frequently overlooked for his subject matter. With his signature use of a sophisticated hodgepodge, Brossy crafts figures from debris, construction material, as well as traditional paint. Modest blue-collar workers, barflies, the homeless, children, and the detritus of society are depicted in material reflective of their social status. Cheeky political references imbue the work with a dual seriousness and humor. Brossy’s work asks the viewer to consider grand social issues but to never take themselves, or the work, too seriously.
The holder of a M.F.A. from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Brossy eschews traditionalism embodied by a personal artistic manifesto known as “Crackpot Realism.” According to the artist, “In Crackpot Realism there is no distinction between living and making art. The painting is not a representation of life, but a real thing, an object in a real space, that can be experienced as a picture.” Featuring stenciled messages, globs of tar and paint, found clothing, reconstructed objects, his material choices echo the subject matter, embedding his figures in a palpable world of excess and refuse. This solo show brings to the forefront those working class who would otherwise be Left Behind.
Jim Brossy - Left Behind will be on display November 6 - 28, 2009. There will also be an artist reception First Friday November 6th from 6 - 9 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Projects Gallery is located at 629 N. 2nd St. in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties section. Gallery hours are Wednesday & Thursday 4 -7 p.m. and Friday & Saturday noon to 7 p.m. A preview of works may be viewed on the gallery’s website at www.projectsgallery.com.
