Shawn Barber opened his latest solo show last night at Joshua Liner Gallery in NYC entitled "Memoir: The
Tattooed Portraits Series,” an exhibition of 25 new paintings by the Los
Angeles-based artist. The exhibition was presented in conjunction with the limited
edition hardcover release of Memoir: The Tattooed Portraits Series book.
This is the third volume in Barber’s ongoing series documenting the world and
artistry of contemporary tattoo.
Making appearences are portraits of some of the tattoo world’s
heaviest hitters with the likes of Grime, Don Ed Hardy, Hannah Atichison and Shige
to name but a few. The Shige piece is truly stunning in person taking up three
large panels and measuring in at 6-x-9-feet, Barber’s Portrait of the Japanese artist(2010–12)
is a panorama with nine full-length views of the tattooist, rendered in the
nude to reveal the majesty of his own bodily canvas. It’s worth noting that the work is Barber’s
largest piece to date.
On the other end of the gallery a large canvas showcasing James
Spencer Briggs at Work on Aaron Wahlman (2011–12) offers its audience a window
into the processes, and protocols of a tattoo parlor with its masterful
rendering of the tattooists intricate paraphernalia and the clients intense and
personal experience.
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| Shawn Barber - "James Spencer Briggs at Work" Oil on Canvas 2012 48 x 60 in. |
The galleries second
room offers a wall lined up with a series of small still life’s that isolate
the distinctive hardware of specific tattoo artists, such as Daily Driver,
Micky Sharpz Liner Machine and Single Needle Shader (2012), these pieces
are a window into the personalized and distinctive tools used
by the masters that are rarely seen in public. Hanging in the center of the same
room is Abstracted Self Portrait (2010–12) which pairs multiple views of Shawn’s
arms and other limbs in motion as free-floating examples of contemporary ink, it’s
worth noting that the piece showcase’s a brighter pallet from Shawn than I am
used to seeing.
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| Shawn Barber - "Abstracted Self Portrait" Oil on Canvas 2012 36 x 68 in. |
Other works include an intimate moment captured in time between
tattooist Jason Kundell and his daughter
Lula, a head study of fellow painter and tattooist Henry Lewis and both a macro
and mico take on Freddy Corbin’s “temple.”
Shawn’s latest, beautifully put together
book was also up for grabs, it displays the current exhibition in full and
pretty much every other major work from the artist since his last publication
was released. A loving forward by actress/comedian
Margaret Cho and and NeedlesandSins.com blogger, Marisa Kakoulas, who provides
the volume’s introduction, serve as a great opening to this limited, signed and
numbered (edition of 100,) hardcover coffee table book.
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| Shawn Barber - "Memoir: The Tattooed Portraits Series" Hardcover Book, 2012. |
Those who attended the opening were treated to a very
friendly and open Barber who was only too happy to pose for pictures and discuss
the work with his many fans… and with the theme of the works being tattoos you
know the crowed themselves were walking canvas all worth admiring in their own
right!
Memoir: The Tattooed Portraits Series will be on display
till July 28th, make sure you brave the summer heat and make it down to the gallery in the next month for some truly inspirational work.
