Two great shows under one roof Saturday night.

Jonathan Levine Gallery

529 West 20th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10011

Jonathan LeVine Gallery is pleased to present Make Room For The Emptiness, a solo exhibition of new original works by Jim Houser. Returning for what will be his third solo show at the gallery, Houser has created a new series of paintings and sculptures which will be incorporated into a site-specific installation. Additionally, the artist has composed a new score of original instrumental music to be played in the space throughout the exhibition, enhancing the experience on an audio-sensory level by complementing the tone, rhythm and repetition of the work.

Houser’s paintings are visual poems by which he communicates his innermost thoughts and feelings; words are involved at times, but not in the traditional sense. By cataloging his experiences through a unique pictoral language, the artist has created his own iconography. As a result, the collective imagery acts as a cognitive presentation of highly interpretive ideas. Houser’s signature aesthetic contains elements of stylized figures and hand-drawn typography along with patterned line work—all rendered with clean precision using a gradient of tints and shades within his minimal palette of harmonious flat colors. When his sculptural pieces—which include hand-made guitars and flowerpots—are combined with his paintings, it becomes clear that all of the works are associative and directly related. This deceptively dimensional quality is further highlighted when the pieces are assembled into one of Houser’s elaborate installations, adding to the complexity of each individual piece by emphasizing a greater cohesive inter-connectivity to the body of work, as a whole.

Make Room For The Emptiness marks a subtle departure in style and sophistication for Houser, resulting in a cleaner, simpler, more mature approach to his installation. For the past several years, his work has been heavily influenced by intense physical and emotional pain due to a congenital health problem and grief suffered from personal tragedy. Honoring the memory of his late wife, while also suffering from health issues, Houser’s work has often been a practice in cathartic meditation, driven by memory and mourning. This year however, the artist has celebrated the affirmation of a new love and has also received medical treatment for his previous health condition. Through experiencing these feelings of profound change and healing in both heart and body—as the show title suggests—Houser is consciously choosing to make some room for fresh, new beginnings by creating a blank slate upon which he can begin to write this new chapter in his life.

Jonathan LeVine Gallery is pleased to announce True Self, a group exhibition of new works by over 40 artists, brought together by represented artist and special guest curator Gary Baseman. The theme has been left open to encourage individual interpretation and there are no size or medium restrictions, so that each participating artist has complete creative freedom on the subject at hand.

In the curator’s words:
“In this exhibition, I have invited a group of painters, photographers, and sculptors, to look deep inside themselves and create an image that they feel represents their own passion or obsession. They might imagine themselves as anyone or anything—a wolf, a cupcake, a mermaid, even a skyscraper. I am requesting each artist to create an artwork that represents his or her true self. I am not asking for (nor do I want) a self-portrait. Rather, I’m requesting that the participating artists pick an icon, metaphor, or symbol that they feel represents their true essence. The desired result is a breaking of boundaries to allow a space and time where we can discover, accept, and love our true selves, feeling nirvana and heaven on earth.”

Participating artists include: Adam Wallacavage, Alex Prager, Amor Muñoz, Boris Hoppek, Christian Clayton, Cleon Peterson, Dalek, Dave Cooper, David Sandlin, Deedee Cheriel, Eric White, Esther Pearl Watson, Fons Schiedon, Frieda Gossett, Friends With You, Gary Taxali, Gary Baseman, Gerard Dubois, Gretchen Ryan, James Jean, Jennifer Poon, Jonathon Rosen, Korin Faught, Lauren Bergman, Leah Hayes, Lola, Luke Chueh, Marion Peck, Mark Ryden, Mark Todd, Martha Rich, Mike Shinoda, Miso, Natalia Fabia, Orly Cogan, Ray Caesar, Rob Clayton, Robin VanValkenburgh, Ron English, Ryan Heshka, Ryan Jacob Smith, Shag, Shannon Freshwater, The London Police, Tim Biskup, Travis Lampe, and more to come!