ANDREW RAFACZ is pleased to announce ‘BO-DE-GAS,’ a solo exhibition from Josh Reames in Gallery Two.

ANDREW RAFACZ continues 2018 with ‘BO-DE-GAS,’ a solo exhibition of new paintings by New York-based artist Josh Reames. The exhibition continues through Saturday, September 8, 2018.

Intentionally indexical in their composition while retaining the colorful, varied graphic strategy of his previous work, Josh Reames’ newest paintings stretch his iconic collection of visual signifiers to a new place for the viewer. Rather than beginning with a background that creates notions of place or story, these works flatten any hierarchy to pure foreground, letting the viewer thread them together in their own way. The results are as humorous and trenchant as ever but also democratic and unexpected. The paintings’ compositions as well as their emotional and psychological undertones suggest detachment and displacement but also a sincere determination to (re)connect the dots.

The artist also challenges the surface of these paintings by adding found dirt, soil, sawdust, plaster, cigarette ash and paper pulp to the usual gel medium and galkyd. Celebrating the dusty shelves often cluttered with a uniquely random combination of goods in the ubiquitous bodegas of his home, Reames has titled his exhibition accordingly. Playfully low brow, the stylization of the title is reference to the titular scene in the 90s movie, Half Baked. If you don’t know it, find it on YouTube. It’s worth the 45 seconds.
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JOSH REAMES (American, b. 1985) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He received his BFA from the University of North Texas (Denton, TX) in 2007, and his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. He has had recent solo exhibitions at Luis de Jesus (Los Angeles, CA), Jacob Lewis Gallery (New York, NY), Tristian Koenig (Melbourne, Australia), Andrew Rafacz Gallery (Chicago, IL), Brand New Gallery (Milan, Italy), and Johannes Vogt (New York, NY). Recent group exhibitions include Pablos Birthday (New York, NY), Celaya Brothers Gallery (Mexico City, Mexico), COUNTY (Tampa, FL), The Hole (New York, NY), LVL3 (Chicago, IL), Museo Di Capodimonte (Naples, Italy), Greenpoint Terminal Gallery (New York, NY), and Guerrero Gallery (San Francisco, CA). Reames has been exhibited widely at art fairs in Miami, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Berlin, London, Milan, and Mexico City. His work is included in numerous private and public collections. This is his second exhibition with the gallery.

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