MIRRORED VIEWFINDER

11 October - 2 November 2024

  • JD Malat Gallery presents MIRRORED VIEWFINDER, a pivotal exhibition by Californian artist John Copeland, opening during Frieze Art Week 2024. This show marks a significant moment in Copeland's 25+ year career, delving into the intricacies of representation and reflection through a visual dialogue that is both complex and engaging.

  • John Copeland, UNBROKEN HORSES, 2024 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    John Copeland, I ME MINE, 2024 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    John Copeland, SUNLIGHT IN NEW SHAPES, 2024 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    John Copeland, WALLS OF GLASS, WORDS AT LAST, 2024 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    John Copeland, TO SEE THROUGH DIFFERENT WINDOWS (BEAUTIFUL GROWL), 2024 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    John Copeland, REMEMBER THESE MOMENTS, 2024 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    John Copeland, CONVERSATIONS WITH KUBRICK, 2024 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    John Copeland, HAZEL BLUE WORLDS FROM YOU, 2024 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    John Copeland, THE PLACE BEYOND SLEEP, BEYOND ME , 2024 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    John Copeland, UNBROKEN HORSES, 2024
  • John Copeland
    WALLS OF GLASS, WORDS AT LAST, Oil on canvas, 2024

    John Copeland

    John Copeland (b.1976) is a Californian artist who currently lives and works in New York City. His practice mainly focuses on the ambivalent relationship between abstraction and figuration. As Copeland states, 'I'm more interested in using the language of painting and working with the edge of abstraction, working with the push and pull of paint, image, readability and texture.

  • MIRRORED VIEWFINDER
    TO SEE THROUGH DIFFERENT WINDOWS (BEAUTIFUL GROWL), Oil on canvas, 2024

    MIRRORED VIEWFINDER

    MIRRORED VIEWFINDER brings together 9 new paintings infused with bold expanses of colour, texture, and form. Copeland's work wrestles with the balance between the visible world and the undercurrents of reality, layering his canvases with thick, textured brush strokes that coalesce traditional art historical motifs with a self-reflective sensibility.

     

    Living and working in New York City, Copeland has amassed a body of work which intensely re-works known subjects and popular imagery . Underlining much of his work is his ambition to dismantle notions of fixed definitions within art, where style and mediums are often subjected to frames and categories.

  • Artist / Director
    CONVERSATIONS WITH KUBRICK, Oil on canvas, 2024

    Artist / Director

    Copeland wants to produce work that remains interesting over time, to create art with depth, to offer his viewers compositions that are visceral and engaging. His latest series draws influence from filmmaking techniques, particularly film director and screenwriter, Stanley Kubrick's (1928 – 1999) in his representation of reality. As Copeland notes a viewfinder can become a ‘tool that could both help you see the audience’s view, along with giving the artist room to experiment and play.’ This prospect aligns with his approach, where his application of paint and compositions create a dialogue between viewer and composition that in its duality is both controlled and a removed view of reality.

  • Perception and Reality
    I ME MINE, Oil on cnavas, 2024

    Perception and Reality

    Copeland investigates the complex narratives of perception and reality through his paintings. This collection underpins his continuous exploration of duality between reality and reflection, akin to that of a mirror. Reality, depicted through art historical themes such as still life, contrasts with his thick, textured movement of oil paint, echoing the liberation of paintings into a realm which challenges what we believe is 'happening'.

  • SUNLIGHT IN NEW SHAPES
    SUNLIGHT IN NEW SHAPES, Oil on canvas, 2024 

    SUNLIGHT IN NEW SHAPES

    In John Copeland’s work SUNLIGHT IN NEW SHAPES, the viewer is invited into an expressive, chaotic, and yet thoughtful composition. The painting presents a dynamic blend of gestural abstraction and figuration, with the focus drawn to the distorted skull and floral elements. These two motifs—skulls and flowers—are classic symbols in art history, especially in the context of still-life painting, where they traditionally evoke reflections on mortality (memento mori) and the fleeting nature of life.
     
    The skull, partially obscured, conjures the theme of death. In contrast, the vibrant red flowers in the right side of the composition evoke beauty and vitality, symbolising life's temporary bloom. These conflicting elements—life and death—create a tension that Copeland explores with his expressive use of paint, layering, and mark-making. Imbuing a visceral energy to the piece, Copeland blurs the lines between representation and abstraction, challenging his audience to navigate between what is seen and what is felt.
  • Words by John Copeland
    REMEMBER THESE MOMENTS, Oil on canvas, 2024

    Words by John Copeland

    “I've been thinking about a director’s viewfinder, a tool for framing shots and scenes in film… a powerful tool for getting exactly what you want in a process that requires a large team to produce. A more precise way to control what we the audience will see when viewing a film.” 

  • Capturing moments akin to a filmmaker, Copeland positions himself between the borders of clarity and ambiguity, daring his audience to confront their instinct for logic and certainty. MIRRORED VIEWFINDER invites viewers to investigate imagery through a dual lens of maker/consumer, whereby the autonomy of both creating and seeing freely is put into question.