Sean Gannon

Acquired directly from Artist in 2021

Informed by the Chicago Skyline and buildings, as well as the social temperature both macro and micro, Gannon’s paintings incorporate three-dimensionality, fine woodwork, sculptural elements, and transcend the flatness of the canvas. The artist tries to avoid tools and assisting materials while painting, returning the art creating practice to its basic yet most essential form. The woodwork elements in his paintings also recall influences of Chicago Imagist artist Roger Brown and Hiam Steinbach whose works are known for his selection and presentation of objects, the exploration of contemporary consumer culture and their psychic attachments to things.

Gannon’s introspective work, however, draws inspiration from his environment and processes its chaotic state by going deeper and looking to the past, translating his personal struggles and observations into a universal language with a sense of humour that connects all viewers. As the artist says that the work “comes from what I go through, but they are also universally relatable. I want to be a vessel for my paintings.”

Sean Gannon(b. 1993) graduated with his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2015. Gannon has been included in a few group shows in the United States, Puerto Rico and London (Left Field Gallery, ParisLondonHongKong, Roberto Paradise, and Ramp Gallery). He has also soloed at EXPO Chicago, Luis de Jesus in Los Angeles, Ramp Gallery in London, and Woaw Gallery in Hong Kong. Gannon lives and works in Chicago, United States.