| BARRY WHISTLER GALLERY // MAR 6 // 6-8PM |
| Barry Whistler Gallery is located in the Deep Ellum area of downtown Dallas at 2909-B Canton Street. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, Noon to 5:00 p.m. and by appointment. www.barrywhistlergallery.com |
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| JOHN WILCOX |
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Barry Whistler Gallery is pleased to present a select group of drawings and related
paintings from 1988-89 by Dallas artist John Wilcox.
The Late 1980’s ushered in an intense concern, especially in the arts, with the AIDS
epidemic. A move to New York City in 1988 found Wilcox in the midst of the art world
and its community, consumed with the AIDS epidemic. Many friends and fellow artists
were beginning to fight their own battles with AIDS. ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash
Power) began their programs of activism and change. Addressing issues like the high
cost of AZT, the first FDA approved drug to delay the development of AIDS in HIV
positive patients, as well as housing issues. Wilcox remembered hearing a talk by Ross
Bleckner recounting the loss of friends. Wilcox felt Bleckner was almost attempting to
memorialize AIDS. Wilcox described the feeling as a major upheaval, it was like a
war was going on; there was so much fear and paranoia.
It is within this climate that Wilcox began a group of simple word drawings such as
“our,” “sake,” “drain” and “tender.” All made with repetitive marks of graphite or
watercolor on paper. The drawings being an attempt to seek solace, mark time or find
a soothing feeling. At the same time, several paintings were completed that were
seen as complimentary works, or in some cases the drawings were like labels for the
paintings. These paintings were again made of small marks built up using acrylic and
oils on canvas. Wilcox felt the paintings were a place where you could meditate on
the words, exposing the viewer to a vast space, and ideally viewing them together. A
sanding down of the surface was the final step, becoming a gesture towards the real
world wipeout that AIDS caused. This exhibition provides the first public viewing of
many of these works and the first pairing of the paintings and drawings.
paintings from 1988-89 by Dallas artist John Wilcox.
The Late 1980’s ushered in an intense concern, especially in the arts, with the AIDS
epidemic. A move to New York City in 1988 found Wilcox in the midst of the art world
and its community, consumed with the AIDS epidemic. Many friends and fellow artists
were beginning to fight their own battles with AIDS. ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash
Power) began their programs of activism and change. Addressing issues like the high
cost of AZT, the first FDA approved drug to delay the development of AIDS in HIV
positive patients, as well as housing issues. Wilcox remembered hearing a talk by Ross
Bleckner recounting the loss of friends. Wilcox felt Bleckner was almost attempting to
memorialize AIDS. Wilcox described the feeling as a major upheaval, it was like a
war was going on; there was so much fear and paranoia.
It is within this climate that Wilcox began a group of simple word drawings such as
“our,” “sake,” “drain” and “tender.” All made with repetitive marks of graphite or
watercolor on paper. The drawings being an attempt to seek solace, mark time or find
a soothing feeling. At the same time, several paintings were completed that were
seen as complimentary works, or in some cases the drawings were like labels for the
paintings. These paintings were again made of small marks built up using acrylic and
oils on canvas. Wilcox felt the paintings were a place where you could meditate on
the words, exposing the viewer to a vast space, and ideally viewing them together. A
sanding down of the surface was the final step, becoming a gesture towards the real
world wipeout that AIDS caused. This exhibition provides the first public viewing of
many of these works and the first pairing of the paintings and drawings.