10/08/2022
NEXT SUNDAY!
Johnny DeFeo
From the Windows to the Walls
Opening Reception: October 16th, 2-5 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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KDR305 presents From the Windows to the Walls, a solo presentation of paintings by Taos-based artist Johnny DeFeo.
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Escapist tableaus of homes emerge from a rich mix of fantasy and luxury with views of sun-drenched domestic interiors in exaggerated environments. DeFeo, a Plein-air painter by sport, begins each painting with a landscape – a place he either loves or longs to spend time within.
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Digging through contemporary exhibitions of his peers, art history, auction houses, and the flea markets of his mind, DeFeo defines each space with a series of parameters set by his senses, where he even narrows down what wildlife might be abundant in the area. Capturing a feeling of who may have lived or worked in these spaces is an essential quality of the painted rooms. DeFeo fills each reimagined location with vibrantly rendered furniture, paintings, sculpture, knickknacks, vegetation, and scenery. He shapes an overarching portrait of the self that identifies objects and locations as signifiers for human characteristics.
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The works are associated similarly with flipping through your favorite Architectural Digest-type magazine, each dwelling carefully and thoughtfully arranged. A quiet commentary on the real estate industry and land ownership, the spaces appear simultaneously covetable yet absurd through DeFeo’s eyes. In the absence of people, the paintings sit as empty spaces encouraging quiet exploration, engaging a part of the mind that desires to know a place more intimately, or better yet, to tempt viewers to travel there themselves.
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Johnny DeFeo B.1985 in Berlin, CT. He earned his MFA from the University of Colorado. His works have been included in exhibitions at 1969 Gallery (New York), The Valley (Taos), Visions West Contemporary (Denver, Bozeman, Livingston), Van Rensburg Gallery (Milton, AUS), KDR305 (Miami), and The University of Denver Museum of Art. Johnny lives and works in Taos, New Mexico.
