Linkage
February 4, 2022 - March 19, 2022
at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art
“The sculptures are about finding inner strength and the paintings are about making sense of a world beyond my control. The basis of this exhibition is the Linkage between these energies.” - John Balistreri
Block and Tackle, 2022
Woodfired stoneware, 47.5" x 28.5"
Blue Beacon, 2021
Woodfired stoneware, 66" x 23.5"
Tail Fire, 2022
Woodfired stoneware, 47.5" x 30"
Free Space, 2022
Woodfired stoneware, 49" x 24"
Red Post, 2022
Gas fired stoneware, 47.5" x 31.5"
Untitled, From the Recursion Collision series
Acrylic on canvas, 56" x 72.5"
Formally Untitled, From the Recursion Collision series
Acrylic on canvas, 78" x 62"
Web Net, From the Recursion Collision series
Acrylic on panel, 72" x 84"
Formally Untitled, From the Recursion Collision series
Acrylic on canvas, 80" x 48"
Sail or Swim, 2014, From the By and Large series
Acrylic on paper, 47" x 34"
Weather Machine, 2014, From the By and Large Series
Acrylic on paper, 47" x 34"
In his solo exhibition, at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, John Balistreri presents two bodies of work that are in conversation. Known as a master of ceramics and expert in the ancient art of firing a traditional wood kiln, Balistreri presents his signature ceramic sculpture, lush with wood ash glaze and architectural form. In the gallery installation, the sculpture is in dialogue with energetic paintings full of the push and pull of visual tension.
In building with clay, the artist must contend with the physical forces of gravity but in painting there are no such constraints. Balistreri discovered that the freedom of painting to explore form, line, and color and the ability to make ongoing changes was liberating. The back and forth of these two symbiotic activities, ceramics and painting, revealed new insight into abstraction and reinforced the strength of both media.
The paintings in Linkage were created prior to the pandemic and began as a concern with changes in society triggered by digital information and social media. The artist refers to the structure of the paintings as “hives” of disparate energies.
The sculptures in Linkage were begun during the pandemic with most created since August of 2021. The totemic and architectural ceramic sculptures evoke the opposite energy of the paintings. Where the paintings are in flux, shape-shifting, the sculpture is steadfast stabile, strong and balanced. Together they form a yin and yang response to the difficult and uncertain time we live in.