Jonathan Allmaier
The Howling Wind at James Fuentes Essex
April 9—May 2, 2021
"All I can do is try to recognize, and then follow, the personhood of each painting—the fact that, like other persons, a painting is at once an object in the world and a subject apprehending the world. This personhood implies irreducible complexity—as it does for us all. Like any other person, a painting is at the same time distinct from the surrounding world and an extension of that world. Paintings are at once necessarily always the same (owing to the strong form of “painting”—which is also a physical model of the way we see the world—we know what it is to be a painting; that is, a painting is an idea) and necessarily always different (a painting is a contingent physical circumstance; that is, a painting is a body). But a painting does not offer a solution to the mind-body problem so much as it shows us the undermining of this distinction. This is why we need paintings. We need them to live.” -Allmaier
Allmaier’s radical commitment to this personhood, which implies a concomitantly radical commitment to learning, has led his practice to include writing (Which World, an ongoing cycle of essays, was first published by James Fuentes in 2014, with a second edition forthcoming) and broadly-defined painting—not necessarily involving paint or canvas—some examples of which will be included in this exhibition.
Press Release
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Hepzibah, 2019
Oil on canvas
107 1/4 x 83 1/8 x 1 inches
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The Air Swimmer, 2021
Oil on canvas
97 1/2 x 85 3/4 x 1 inches
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Little Demons, 2020
Oil on canvas
93 1/2 x 81 3/4 x 1 inches
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Lizards & Turtle, 2020
12 1/4 x 15 1/8 x 1 inches
Crayon and pencil on construction paper in artist painted frame
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Snake, Mouse, & Dragonflies, 2020
Crayon and pencil on construction paper in artist painted frame
12 1/4 x 15 1/8 x 1 inches
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Shivers, 2020
Framed book page
8 1/2 x 6 9/16 x 1 inches
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One Half-Inning (Baseball Machine), 2014
Oil on wood with nails
35 x 19 3/4 x 7 inches
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I See A Darkness, 2019
Ink on book pages
10 1/4 x 14 1/4 x 1 inches
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CFWA WNES, 2018
Oil on canvas
107 x 65 1/8 x 1 inches
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The Bear, 2018
Oil on canvas
93 1/4 x 79 1/8 x 1 inches
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Ghost Shirt, 2017
Modified jersey with hanger, metal stud, shelf bracket, book ring, wire
40 1/2 x 25 x 30 inches
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Herman Melville, 2018
Oil on canvas
97 x 79 ¼ inches
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Untitled (Glasses), 2015
Artists' prescription glasses, wire, and shelf brackets
22 1/2 x 12 x 21 1/2 inches
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Sun-Dragons, 2020
Oil on canvas
95 x 83 1/2 x 1 inches
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The Encantadas, 2018
Plastic clothing hangers
15 1/2 x 12 x 3/4 inches
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They Are Shed Out of You, 2017
Oil on canvas
106 1/4 x 81 x 1 inches
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Death, 2018
Oil on canvas
13 3/4 x 7 3/8 x 1 1/4 inches
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Pearl Blauvelt,
Untitled (Apple Orchard), c. 1940
23 1/2 x 29 x 1 1/2 inches
Pencil and colored pencil on lined note paper
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Time Machine, 2017
Laser, mirrors, shelf brackets, metal studs, wire
30 5/8 x 12 1/2 x 13 3/4 inches
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021
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Installation view, The Howling Wind, James Fuentes Essex, New York, 2021