“Ironically, this provocation of the imagination can foster a lyricism that feels true to the spirit of the conventions this series conceptually transforms.”
“My work consists of conceptual text-based reinventions of the still life/nature morte conventions of classical art. Informed by my interest in art history, critical theory, and culture, the series features bon mots and apothegms ranging in tone from the sardonic to the polemical. Playing off the staidness of traditional visual genres (a quality typically reflected in the titles of paintings, for example), the humor in my work stems in part from an implied attempt to visualize abstract ideas, paradoxes, and malapropisms. Ironically, this provocation of the imagination can foster a lyricism that feels true to the spirit of the conventions this series conceptually transforms. Contrasting a droll urbanity with earnest functionalism.” - Maynard Monrow
Monrow's work has been exhibited at numerous institutions and galleries including: The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY; Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, Hollywood, FL; Gavlak Gallery LA and Palm Beach; Booth Gallery, New York, NY; Gavin Brown's Enterprise, New York, NY and ACME Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2005).
To see more of Monrow’s work visit his page on the Gavlak Gallery’s website.