Brian Belott
Swirly Music, Nov 29 – Jan 13, 2008

Past: 55 Chrystie St

Installation view, *Swirly Music*, Canada, New York, 2007

Artworks

Brian Belott,
Untitled (red and purple cat),
2007,
32 × 45 in (81.28 × 114.3 cm)
Mixed media in metal frame

Brian Belott,
Arizona,
2007,
36 ½ × 49 in (92.71 × 124.46 cm)
Acrylic, glitter, foil, glow-in-the-dark paint, acrylic, spray paint, oil marker on plexi-glass in found frame

Brian Belott,
Untitled (Squiggly couple),
2007,
36 ½ × 24 ½ in (92.71 × 62.23 cm)
Glitter, foil, acrylic, spray paint, oil marker on plexi-glass in found frame

Brian Belott,
Untitled (Small cats),
2007,
16 × 40 in (40.64 × 101.6 cm)
Glitter, foil, marker on glass in found frames

Brian Belott,
Schniff,
2007,
43 × 54 in (109.22 × 137.16 cm)
Chalkboard paint, chalk, acrylic, glitter, foil, spray paint, oil marker on plexi-glass in wood fram

Brian Belott,
Schnaff,
2007,
43 × 54 in (109.22 × 137.16 cm)
Chalkboard paint, chalk, acrylic, glitter, foil, spray paint, oil marker on plexi-glass in wood fram

Brian Belott,
Untitled (small-smiley) book,
2007,
4.5 × 5 in (11.43 × 12.7 cm)
Mixed media collage book

Brian Belott,
Untitled (blue clown),
2007,
25 × 19 in (63.5 × 48.26 cm)
Glitter, foil, acrylic, spray paint, oil marker, LED lights on plexi-glass in plastic frame

Press Release

With no further ado, CANADA is pleased to finally present an entire show devoted to new works by Brooklyn based artist Brian Belott. Although Mr. Belott has shown extensively with the gallery since 2003, this new show marks the first time the gallery will be granted a complete exhibition focused solely on Mr. Belott's much sought after glass works. Until now, this part of the artist's oeuvre was handled exclusively by Kenny Schachter in London.

Since the mid 1990's Mr. Belott has been carefully crafting his unique painting style. His glassworks are image driven, cartoon influenced and enigmatically sublime. Music is a generating source of inspiration for Mr. Belott's production. Here the works are staged with a sound track of 1960's and 70's light radio with smooth, swirling, lush orchestration. All of the pieces reflect themes of music, like vibrations, patterns, clusters, and waves. The repeating moronic motifs of spiral eyed cats, cross eyed clowns, and googly-eyed owls are either back-dropped by fantastic landscapes or floating in black space. Using glass, markers, gels, spray-paint, glitter, foil, keys, gold leaf, dirty socks, butterfly wings, junk, rubble, and dust. The materials convey traditional visual values like light, depth and volume while the images pop and hypnotize. The result of these mesmerizing works is an exciting display of new image making.

With the works hung over a hand made wainscoting of clothes pegs and tube socks that mimic an endless scrolling piano keyboard, we are always being reminded that these works spring from melody and the rapture of music, reiterating their need to be listened to as well as seen. Mr. Belott's glass paintings are sly and humorous caricatures of all the art that ever came before. They shimmer with the glare and gloss of silver and gold. This is a vaudevillian, showstopper of a show. Come one, come all.

Born in 1973 in New Jersey, Brian Belott attended Cooper Union and SVA in New York City where he now lives and works. His last show at CANADA, Books, books, books, books, books, books, and books, an installation of 50 unique collage books, was recently purchased by The Museum of Modern Art as part of their permanent collection. He has participated in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe including Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, London, Miami and Los Angeles.

Mr. Belott’s fist book,“Wipe That Clock off Your Face”, was recently published by Piturebox Inc.