The Merry Karnowsky Gallery Shows New Work by Edward Walton Wilcox

Written by Nigel Brittan Wednesday, 22 June 2011 00:08

Los Angeles, CA.- The Merry Karnowsky Gallery is proud to present "The Taciturn Sea", a new body of work by Edward Walton Wilcox. According to the artist, the title 'Taciturn Sea' stands as a metaphor for the subconscious mind.  “My work takes cues from a Breughelian reality where all is allegory, social proverb and myth.”  Drawing on this parallel reminiscent of Moby Dick, where the sea represents a transitional place between two distinct states & a respect for the dark depths of the unforgiving & ever changing psyche, Wilcox creates a powerful body of self-confrontation & introspection. "The Taciturn Sea" is on view at the gallery from June 25th through July 23rd, with an opening receptions on Saturday, June 25th between 8 and 11pm.

Many of the panels are shuttered, gabled triptychs. Hinged panels that can be closed, denying the viewer access, furthering the strong ‘object presence’ the works possess. The work of Edward Walton Wilcox has been described by the LA Times’ Mindi Farrabee as "Southern California Noir”.  Wilcox combines his passion for Late Gothic fantasy of Durer, Hieronymus Bosch and Dutch Golden Age painting with his own personal romanticism. A classic painterly hand holds ground as a strong characteristic of Wilcox's cerebral landscapes, which have a slight Surrealist quality. His compositions are a new interpretation and transformation of old erotic motifs, captivating the viewer with a beautiful balance of life & death.


With his Gothic sensibility and taste for the Romantic period, Wilcox imagines the distances and expanses we all must navigate in our own subconscious. The paintings, sculptures & drawings that comprise the body of work are hauntingly beautiful in both content and physicality. One piece titled, “Poacher in the Grass,” is a depiction of a man trapping birds in a basket and a metaphor for ill-gotten gain.  These landscapes are psycho-dramas that invite the viewer to explore at once paradoxical realms of both beauty and paranoia.  A sublime response to a vista or pastoral setting intermingled with an ever-present feeling of dread or of some intrigue that lies just beneath the surface.  Wilcox's use of classic materials such as wood, tempura, bitumen and gesso lend an old world authenticity to the settings and constructions or carpentry that fill Wilcox’s multi-disciplined work.  All in all, Wilcox continues to tighten and put importance on the predominance of the shaped panels and hand-made frames that enhance his work.

Wilcox, recently a featured artist at the LA Art Show, was asked to create a monolithic, live painting that measured  12 feet by 12 feet.  His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and in Europe and has appeared in publications such as The LA Times, LA WEEKLY, Juxtapoz, Coagula Art Journal, O&S, Art Ltd. and FLAUNT Magazine.

The Merry Karnowsky Gallery is home to several of the most significant artists working today. Founded in 1997 by Merry Karnowsky, the gallery has had a central focus for over a decade; championing emerging and mid-career artists who push beyond the boundaries of formal definition. The Gallery is devoted to exhibiting contemporary works of art that are challenging, innovative and committed to fostering new directions in American art. With a creative stable that is one of the most significantly sought after both nationally and internationally, the gallery has become one of Los Angeles’ premier insurrectionary art venues. In March of 2008, Karnowsky opened a second gallery in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, committed to bringing fresh, innovative works to the burgeoning Berlin art scene. Articles about the gallery, and/or it's artists have been featured in Juxtapoz, Swindle, Flaunt, Paper, Nylon, The Face, Variety, Giant Robot, Super X Media, Art Week, Art Issues, Flash Art, Modern Painters, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The LA Weekly, and The Los Angeles Times. MKG Gallery artists have been included in group and solo Museum exhibitions at The Grand Central Art Center, The Baltic Center for Contemporary Art, The Cincinnati Art Center, The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, MOCA Miami, The San Jose Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Visit : www.mkgallery.com/

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