Killing Mediocracy A Retrospective of Scott Endsley’s Glass Chants
Henry Gregg Gallery, Dumbo Opening Night November 6, 2008, 6-9pm From Thursday, November 6 through Sunday, December 7, 2008, the Henry Gregg Gallery under the direction of André Martínez Reed will present Killing Mediocracy, a retrospective of Scott Endsley’s glass chants, glass paintings and sculpture.
Glass Chants are paintings on glass with transparent oil and crushed glass. "It's painting with light," explains Endsley. "It's very freeing and explosive." He continues, “I want my art to be as interesting as watching the reflections on water, or the clouds in the sky.” Painting with glass and on glass has a long and colorful history.
Starting with the Phoenicians, light through colored glass has been a source of beauty, delight and fascination. The Pharaohs coveted and collected colored, decorated and painted glass. Stain glass windows became venerated objects. TL Gorman, Director –King Foot Gallery presented Endsley’s first exhibition of glass paintings. He wrote, “Throughout his career, the pursuit of colors that burn from within has been a considerable force for Scott Endsley.
His recent transition from canvas to glass represents a logical development and metamorphosis. Endsley works on glass are Elemental – colors that achieve his objective of Fire and light, coexisting with the Elements of Earth and Water in the fluid paint – all suspended and harmonized with in the element of Air.”
“Artists are the shamans of our culture,” Endsley says. “I want to create art that that will help heal the hate in this world.”
Thus, Killing Mediocracy is Endsley’s attempt to end the endless celebration of mediocrity and bring us back to an appreciation of the true beauty.
Endsley credits two men as major influences.
One, Chitra Neogy is afilm-maker, poet, performer, director, writer as well as a film professor at NYU.
The second is Professor George Cramer, from Endsley’s alma mater, the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he earned his MFA. In 2006, Endsley made his debut at the Henry Gregg Gallery in a group show.
To celebrate his solo exhibition, the opening night will include entertainment by jazz musicians Matt Lavalle, Chris Forbes, Francois Grillot, André Martínez, Doug Principato and Jason Candler. Martinez, Principato and Candler appear on the 2005 Jazz album Now Is Rising Scott Endsley and his wife live in Dumbo.
When he’s not creating art, he teaches art at the Bronx Preparatory Charter School.
