Johnny Swing's newest show presents signature works from two areas of inquiry: functional art objects and fine-art sculpture. The show at CYNTHIA-REEVES coincides with his furniture exhibition at Knoedler & Company.
Swing's sinuous chaise lounge, which was included in the Museum of Art and Design's exhibition Second Lives, is the most recent of a series of functional artworks made of materials that hold a vastly different function, an approach that is at the core of this artist's inquiry. In this instance, the piece is composed of hundreds of quarters, carefully welded together and supported by a stainless steel armature, beautiful in its own right.
"It is repurposing at its best," commented Kiera Scholten (ARTWORKS Magazine - Fall 2008). "He says he likes to 'take a worthless thing and make it beautiful.' In discarded baby food jars, he sees chairs or chandeliers. A wheelbarrow is easily fashioned into a table. Nickels compose a couch. Dollar bills become the fabric for a teddy bear or a pillow."
The lines of the couch create a sense of movement uncharacteristic for something made of such uncommon, and rigid, material. It comes as no surprise that he is inspired by landscapes, the ocean, the female form. One can see references to all of these in the couch alone. Swing says he likes "forms that are giving, not asking."
While Swing's furniture exudes a level of refinement, his sculpture, while equally organic in form, harnesses a raw energy. The most recent sculpture continues manipulating raw steel into magnificently torqued, twisted, and sinuous sculpture.
The work's form effectively references the artist's forceful actions involved in their production and creation. The highly polished base contrasts beautifully with the sculpture's fully realized surface patina.
The artist writes, "The process is counterintuitive; they start as ore from the ground, then through modern technology they are processed into construction materials. Then I destroy, alter, fold, and rap them into new forms that contradict their intended purpose; yet, they return to nature with their new organic form. I find the work during the process of building them; then select the parts that are treasures."
Swing's work is included in the permanent collections of notable museums and art centers around the world, including Storm King Art Center and the Robert Crowell Museum. His contemporary furniture has been featured at the International Furniture Show at the Javits Center in New York several times; his designs have been included in The Chair, a review of the most innovative design of the past decades. On December 17, 2009 an edition of Johnny Swing's Nickel Couch, previously featured on the cover of Arts and Antiques Magazine, will be auctioned at Sotheby's as part of noted collector Robert Isabell's estate sale.
For more information on the artist and the upcoming exhibition, please contact the gallery at 212 714 0044 or visit the online gallery at www.cynthia-reeves.com.
1.212.714.0044 | 1.212.714.0066535 (fax) | cynthia-reeves.com 535 west 24th street 2nd floor • new york • new york • 10001
