Comedy of Terrors, new paintings by Doug Parry, opens at ART 101 on October 19 and will be on view through November 25.
The opening reception will take place on the 19th from 6 to 9 pm.
At first glance, Parry’s new paintings are wacky and hilarious. It is only when the images actually begin to sink in that they begin to resonate on several levels.
The path to this work was difficult. In an effort to find ” a new way of depicting psychological struggle — my raison d’etre as a painter…” Parry began working on a series of allegoric still-life paintings. As the work progressed, he began to fear that “no one would understand the message, and suddenly saw (the) work (and painting in general for that matter) as one big fat joke. I decided, since it couldn’t get any worse, that I would just paint jokes or at least paint objects that were funny when arranged together. Suddenly, my paintings felt, ironically, serious again and I realized that I discovered a new direction.”
The critic Jim Demetre writes, “His idiosyncratic style, always rooted in the traditions of his chosen medium, suddenly seemed to speak in ways that both engaged and defied today’s contemporary art world vernacular.
Parry’s downbeat embrace of humor, painterly verve, and art historical vocabulary allow him to express a take on today’s art world that is compelling, necessary and — in actual works of art, at least — far too rare.”
The artist’s love of his chosen medium, paint, and a truly sublime handling of it, combine with his incisive wit to make this a knockout show that works on all the aforementioned levels.
ART 101 is located at 101 Grand Street between Berry and Wythe. Our hours are Friday through Sunday, from 1 to 6, or you may make an appointment for any time; 718-302-2242.
