North Light & Fugitive Light by John R. Neeson

AC[Institute Direct Chapel]
547 W. 27th St., 5th Floor
NY, NY 10001

AC is a non-profit 501©3

John R. Neeson's North Light and Fugitive Light
Jan 22-Feb 14, 2009
Reception Jan 22, 6- 8 pm

Hrs. Wed-Sat 1-6 & Thur 1-8 pm

Within the AC [Chapel] and along the AC [Direct] exterior walls are two site-specific installations by Australian artist John R. Neeson. Northern Light and Fugitive Light are based on the architecture, varia¬tions of light and light sources within the AC galleries. Through pre¬cise compositions of actual and painted representations of mirrors,Neeson creates mimetic representations of fragments within the internal and external spaces. Each installation requires the passage of the observer through it in order to complete the work.

In Northern Light, parallel lines of beveled, rectangular mirrors alter¬nating with tromp l’oeil representations of these mirrors, are placed on opposite walls of the AC [Chapel]. The mirrors reflect the light and architecture of the space as well as each other, while the painted representations replicate the mirrors they replace within the line. The installation fluctuates between a phenomenological and visual expe¬rience of his work and the space it occupies.
Located on the AC [Direct] exterior walls is Fugitive Light. In this installation, circular, concave mirrors sequentially reflect and distort aspects of the area and variations in the lux of it’s illumination and surrounding structures. The work is fluid, illusive, transitory and like all Neeson’s installations, specific to the site and impossible to dupli¬cate elsewhere.

Expanding upon the traditions associated with still life, landscape and portraiture, Neeson challenges reality and illusion creating an ambiguous relationship between the art and the role of the spectator. His work is influenced by the enigmatic and complex paintings The Portrait of Giovanni(?) Arnolfini and his Wife (‘The Arnolfini Portrait’) (1434) by Jan Van Eyck and Diego Velasquez’s Las Meninas (1656).

John R. Neeson lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. He has a PhD from Monash University (Melbourne) and completed post-graduate work at Royal College of Art (London). He has completed 27 venue-specific installations since 1993, in addition to numerous solo shows and major group exhibitions in Europe, U.K, Middle East and throughout Australia including Museum of Modern Art at Heide (Melbourne), Royal College of Art (London), Centre for the Arts (Hobart), University of Sydney, World’s Fair (Seville), Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (Melbourne), Museum of Contem¬porary Art (Brisbane), Gasworks (London), Fondazione Bevilaqua La Masa (Venice), Student Cultural Centres (Belgrade and Zagreb), Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), Chameleon Contemporary Art Space (Hobart), Australian Embassy (Paris), University of Sharjah (U.A.E) and TarraWarra Museum of Art (Victoria).

He has received multiple residencies and awards including Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship and grants from Royal College of Art (London), Australia Council (Sydney), University of Tasmania (Hobart) and University of Ballarat (Victo¬ria). Collections include: Art Bank (Sydney), National Gallery of Victoria, Australian National Gallery (Canberra), University of Tas¬mania, Geelong Art Gallery, University of Melbourne, University of Ballarat, City of Port Phillip and Mornington Regional Gallery (Victoria), Bundanon Trust (New South Wales).

Holly Crawford, Director & Curator
Christine Licata, Gallery Director
Sonya Hofer, AC Fellow