About
BIO
Brian Conery is a visual artist working across many mediums and materials. 'Making' remains at the core of Brian’s practice. The work presented here represents a period from 2007 to the present with archival projects from the 90's. They range from site specific installations, an international collaboration to sculpture and mixed media with digital photographic reproduction as documentation and art object.
Born in Chico California, Brian received a BA in Painting from California State University Chico and later took on illustration studies at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena for 1 year. His roots in California are deep going back 4 generations to the 1850's. Now living in Richmond California with his wife, he works in design and maintains a studio on his property.
THE WORK
Finding / Making / Naming
Recent works include a return to painting combined with mix media elements. The most recent large project "Atlas", 2019, was the result of nearly 18 months of exploration and making, telling a complex story with both personal and universal themes. Every fragment was considered within the larger context incorporating nature and printed matter as well as drawing, painting and photography. Found objects play a prominent role, first explored in the earlier project "Bookhouse". Bookhouse was a breakthrough installation that ushered in a new phase of Brian's practice. A few years later His foray into sculpture began with a series of pieces under the rubric “Locations” which later became part of “New Terrain”. With both metaphoric and formal considerations the work suggests emotional and psychological landscapes leaving the viewer to ask what is going on here? What seem to be scenarios and narratives are made monochromatic to separate them from actual to the imaginary and the subconscious.
Starting with materials studies during his Banff Centre residency [B.A.I.R], new work emerged that was more abstract and formal but retaining previous sensibilities and scale alluding to the body, skin, architectural and microscopic structures. Fragments take on significance, embedded in time as a context. Altered digital images of a building’s demolition are in dialogue with a grid of suspended fragments in the subsequent show “Removal” alluding to exposure and a revealing, the fragility of ephemeral existence. These explorations continued consisting largely of two dimensional work that mines the previous two explorations in a recycling and further abstraction. Working over and destruction of images from earlier work, the panel “mash-ups” form a pastiche of expressive layers and juxtapositions.
RESIDENCIES
Banff Artist in Residence program, the Banff Centre, Banff Canada - 2013
AES+C “Trauma of the Spine” collaborative installation, Pushkin, Russia - 1995
Emeryville/Vladimir Exchange Exhibition, Vladimir, Russia - 1992
SOLO
"Atlas", Lane Community College Roger Hall Gallery, Eugene OR - 2019
The Wall Gallery, "New Work" Oakland CA - 2015
The Wall Gallery, "Removal" Oakland CA - 2014
The Wall Gallery, Oakland CA - 2012
"New Terrain", DGSF Gallery, San Francisco CA - 2011
"Studio Exhibition", 722 Studio, Richmond CA - 2010
"Bookhouse", Site specific installation, Albany CA - 2007
“10 Mysteries”, University Art Gallery, Biola, La Mirada CA - 1997
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
"Refusés of the Bay", Metal Haus Gallery, San Francisco CA - 2023
“Pyramid Scheme”, Bass & Reiner, San Francisco CA - 2023
"Uplift, Heavy Lift", Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley CA - 2021
Art Exhibit 4, NTROPIC, San Francisco CA - 2014-15
"An Exchange with Sol LeWitt" MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA - 2011
“Three Artists: Myths and Journeys”, University Art Gallery, Chico State, Chico CA - 1999
Alumni Show, California State University, Chico, Chico CA - 1997
“Beyond the Computer”, Modesto Jr. College Gallery, Modesto CA - 1997
“Exposures 95”, Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland CA - 1995, curated by Sandra Phillips, Curator Dept. of Photography SFMOMA
“Elements”, Gallery W, Sacramento CA - 1994
“Drawing First”, Southern Exposure Gallery, San Francisco CA - 1993, curated by Ann Philbin, Director of the Drawing Center, New York
“Mythologies”, S.F. Art Commission Gallery, San Francisco CA - 1993
“Circle + Circle = Infinity”, Periscope Gallery, Oakland CA - 1991
“OverTime”, Bay Area Artists and Designers, Oakland CA - 1991
Fillmore Center Arts Intervention, San Francisco, CA - 1991
Emeryville Celebration of the Arts Exhibitions, 1997, 96, 94, 93, 92, 91, 89, guest curators
TALKS
"Atlas" gallery talk, LCC Eugene OR - 2019
Visiting Artist talk, Media Arts, LCC Eugene OR - 2019
Visiting Artist talk, "I want to see everything", Media Arts, LCC Eugene OR - 2014
Artist Interviews, The Mitch Green Show, San Francisco - 2014
AWARDS
Special Recognition by Curator Sandra Phillips, SFMOMA for “Exposures 95”
ArtsLink Grant Recipient for 1995 collaborative projects, collaboration with Moscow artists AES
Ministry of Culture International Artist Residency, Pushkin, Russia, the site of the “Trauma of the Spine” installation
Emeryville/Vladimir Cultural Exchange Project - 1991-92
Featured Artist, Pro Arts - 1991
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Drawing Lives at Southern Exposure”, Kenneth Baker, S.F. Chronicle, 12.11.93
“Creating The System”, Mythologies Exhibition reviewed by Edie Meidav, Artweek, 7.8.93