Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Messinger.
A full-time artist since 1995, Jason has artwork placed in private, corporate, and public collections throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and in Australia. The artist was born in Woodstock, NY in 1966, and has resided in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts prior to moving to Illinois, where in 1987 he received his BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and where he makes his international base of operation. The artist’s studio at the Cornelia Arts Building in Chicago is open to the public by appointment, and during quarterly building-wide Open Studio events.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Jason Messinger’s artwork straddles the cool allure of pure abstraction and the hot recognition of representation. He explores the fuzzy borders between representation and abstraction, identity and design, meaning and beauty. The artist is best known for his ceramic tile murals – often with symbolic imagery that tease the viewer into becoming complicit in their meaning, and for his ceramic sculptures – which are abstract in shape but have a figurative sensibility.
The artist approaches tile with a painter’s concerns and a sculptor’s experience. The idea of abstraction on the edge of identification permeates the work. Images often hint at language, symbol, map, comic strip, or hieroglyph; but often only hint, as the symbols remain undefined, transitional. His multi-tile works are modular, allowing any configuration and sequence of the tiles. The murals exhibit a circular narrative, open-ended to interpretation. The viewer becomes complicit in constructing the meaning. Mounting systems allows one to easily change the position of the tiles, and thus reset the ‘narrative’.
The artist’s sculptures are solidly present while expressly fluid. They change appearance with the viewers’ perspective, transforming in shape and direction. Each face of the work functions like movements of a dance, with unexpected turns. Different perspectives on the work converse with each other, creating a circular narrative of motion and stillness, form and emotion.
His paintings and drawings in ink, pastel, and watercolor, re-imagine the world into patterns and diagrams of movement and color, light and gesture. Giclee’s of his artwork, as well as artist-designed gift items, are all available on-line with links through his main web site.
In addition, Jason Messinger is an author of fiction, poetry, art reviews, and satire. His work can be read on his several Blogs, and his books and collections can be purchased on-line in print and e-format editions in such outlets as Amazon and Lulu. Jason Messinger also curates art shows of regional artists in both physical and on-line galleries.
How can artists connect with other artists?
Chicago Artists Resource at chicagoartistsresource.org offers a slew of great resources to connect and reach out to other art professionals
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The artist’s web site allows people to view and purchase his artwork directly at JasonMessingerArt.com
His recent large public commission of five hand-made porcelain tile murals for the Chicago Transit Authority at the Illinois Medical Station Blue line stops at Damen, Ogden and Paulina (all serving one train stop) unveil this month by end of August 2018.
Two of his tile murals are at the Austin-Irving branch of the Chicago Public Library.
Jason Messinger both curated and exhibits in an upcoming group art show at State Street Gallery at 401 South State Street, Chicago, called “Artists’ Atlas: Mapping Their Journey” wherein nine Chicago artists chart location, identity and memory through a multitude of various mediums and aesthetic styles. The show Runs September 24 – December 20th, Monday – Thursday from 10am to 6pm. Reception is Thursday October 11 from 5 – 7 pm.
Jason Messinger regularly opens his studio to the public at open house shows at the Cornelia Arts Building, where he has his professional art studio along with 50 other artists working in all kinds of mediums.
Fall 2018 Open Houses are Friday October 5th 2018 from 6-10pm, and Friday November 30th from 6-10pm. See CorneliaArtsBuilding.com for future dates.
The Artist also welcomes private viewings of his work, by appointment, in Chicago.
Contact Info:
- Address: Cornelia Arts Building, Suite 204, 1800 West Cornelia, Chicago IL 60657
- Website: jasonmessingerart.com
- Email: JasonMessingerArt@gmail.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/JasonMessingerArtwork
- Other: linkedin.com/in/jasonmessingerart
Image Credit:
Jason Messinger
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