 | | Peristalsis
Billy Reynolds
At black maria gallery
May 19 – June 10, 2007 Opening Reception: Saturday 19th May, 7:00 – 10:30pm
3137 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
323.660.9393 & 818.613.9090
Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 12 PM-6 PM or by appointment
www.blackmariagallery.com | Peristalsis is Billy Reynolds’ first solo exhibition at Black Maria. The show illustrates the progression of Reynolds’ work. As a result, it has evolved into a narrative look at the characters he creates and how the pieces fit together. Billy Reynolds’ fascination with the inner workings of the body inspired the title of the exhibition, Peristalsis, as it is the rhythmic contraction of smooth muscles. He distorts his figures, cuts into them forcing the viewer to look inside. According to Reynolds, “We are confronted with all of our internal intricacies, thus become aware of just how delicate and complex our operating systems are. And in this day and age, we often forget that we are ‘only human’.” Gallery Director Zara Zeitountsian describes the progression of the exhibition as, “It begins with the classic story of boy meet girl, but we’re not dealing with boys or girls. To rephrase, Reynolds’ characters meet (one decidedly “malesque” and the other “femalesque”) and the next thing you know, a third “character” is rendered at its Entrance into Reynolds’ world. The characters become more and more organic and lifelike, which leads to the next stage in the development of the work – the human form (however distorted and inhuman it may seem).“ The narrative concludes with a glimpse into the artists new direction with Gluten, a representation of the female form, sliced open and stuffed with a common wheat-based breakfast cereal. Billy Reynolds earned his MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2004. His work reverberates between the familiar and the odd, the beautiful and the perverse, the unsettling and the captivating. Even with the direction change, Billy Reynolds’ manages to keep his quirky yet sentimental humor intact. | 
View More Images Cover art for "The Stranger" Art Scene Link | Billy Reynolds Through works that oscillate between the familiar and the odd, the beautiful and the perverse, my essential objective is to honor and try to depict the complexities that inform our lives. I create realistic oil paintings from direct observation of series of clay models and sets that I construct myself. The models are for the most part improvised as I build them, while the paintings are created with traditional oil-painting techniques. Within this set system, I explore a multitude of representations, with characters ranging from cartoonish to recognizably human to being completely mangled. EDUCATION 2004 – MFA, San Francisco Art Institute
1995 – BFA, University of Texas at Austin SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2006 - Christmas on Mainstreet, Regent Gallery, Los Angeles
- Small Wonders II, Juried Fundraiser, Pharmaka Gallery, Los Angeles
- Bloody Revolution, Black Maria Gallery, Los Angeles
- Libertine Show, L2Kontemporary, Chinatown Los Angeles
2005 - All California Juried Exhibition and Auction, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach
- Group Show, The Hive Gallery, Los Angeles
- Get It Off Your Chest, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana
- New Art 2005, Michael Price Gallery, Boston
2004 - Found Magazine Anniversary Show, The Second City Gallery, Long Beach
- The Brewery Artwalk, Los Angeles
- The Second Annual Erotic Show, The Shooting Gallery, San Francisco
- New American Talent 19, Arthouse at the Jones Center, Austin, Texas. Curated by Jerry Saltz, Senior Art Critic, The Village Voice.
2003 - American All-Stars, Hockney Gallery, Royal College of Art, London
View More Images Cover art for "The Stranger" Art Scene Link | | | | |
