Flow. It’s a component of many concepts. Time
comes to mind, and water (or any liquid).
Flow is a very visual way to describe and
exchange of energy or ideas from one point to another. And back, and over
again.
When artists takes in the world, almost like a
breath, it flows out again embodied in their medium, and that creative gesture
becomes part of the world for the next breath. Growth is organic and inevitable.
The more of the new, the other, we breathe, the
more we grow. Our culture values the individual and original in art, and that
is certainly valid, but so also is the notion that art must truthfully reflect
the world as seen by the artist. There is no value in copying or following, but
the resonance between creators is the web upon which the entire history of art
is woven.
Dean Radinovsky (top) and Danny Licul in their Brooklyn Army Terminal studios.
To visit the Brooklyn “studios” of painters Danny
Licul and Dean Radinovsky is to see this alchemy incarnate. While technically
discreet spaces in opposite sides of a corridor, they feel more like a ritual
journey through alternate time and space. Art and related objects belonging to
both span the full height of the walls, the artists pace through and between,
sometimes interacting, sometimes immersed in adding strokes to a canvas,
sometimes contemplating what is to follow. Working in close proximity is an
arrangement that has suited them for going on a decade. Kindred spirits in
their dedication the way in which their paintings relate to time and
experience, each creates a distinct and unique body of work.
“Many works going consecutively allow for a
succession of incremental changes.
Large or small, the works may continue for years,” says Radinovsky.
“ The works in progress are seen
over time by my own shifting selves as I am shaped and influenced by others’
work, including literature, music, and film; and the changing light and seasons
and the inflection of experience.
I spend a lot of time on the ocean, often at twilight, and this is
something that very slowly finds its way into the works.”
Dean Radinvosky, "Angel" Oil and Acrylic on canvas, 9’ 2" x 7’ 8" 2009
“Since 2009,
I’ve explored power plays in a parochial school setting. The cast includes nuns, a diverse
student body, sock puppets and a boy who channels Rambo,”
states Licul, who begins by creating and photographing a scene within “a scale model based on the grammar
school I attended, populated with clay figures and furniture… Messages from
social interaction, religion and popular media are absorbed at home and school
and the child’s developing mind struggles to make sense of it. Columbine,
pedophilia, and fundamentalism are some of topics that I routinely consider
while developing the paintings.”
Danny Licul, "Face Off," 73.5" x 55," Oil on canvas 2010
New York
Native Danny Licul received a BFA from Queens College and the Yale Summer
School of Art Fellowship. Residencies include chashama, Lower Manhattan
Cultural Council, and Herziliya Center for the Creative Arts in Israel. His large-scale solo
exhibition Moral Investments and Other Follies, was on view at the Wall Street
Journal building in 2011, and his work has been seen in numerous groups shows,
recently: “The Triumph of Human
Painting” at Bull and Ram Gallery, Brooklyn, curated by Katherine Bradford;
Lesley Heller Workspace on the Lower East Side; “Empire State of Mind” at the
Chelsea Hotel; and “Mystery Tour” at the Tompkins Square Library.
Danny Licul "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe," oil, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 72” x 60”,
2007-2010
In addition to his
accomplishments as a painter, Dean Radinovsky created digital images to
accompany the world premiere of classical
composer José Beviá’s Three Enigmas at Merkin Concert Hall performed by Ferdiko Piano Duo. His large
scale installation “Chapel Americana” was the subject of a feature on WNYC, and
paintings from the piece were exhibited in a solo exhibition at St. Peter’s Church
in Manhattan in 2012. He is a past and current recipient of a chashama
subsidized studio grant and was named the organization’s artist of the year in
2008. Born in Lancaster, PA, Dean received a Masters Degree in Painting from
Queens College and lives in Queens.
Dean Radinovsky, "Chapel Americana" (West Wall), February 26, 2008
While both
artists are known for their work on a very large scale, “Liquid Time” opens a
crack in a window on the inner life and practice of two uncommonly gifted and
dedicated painters through smaller pieces to fit the scale of the fair while
showing the range of each artist and the resonance between their works.
Presenting a selection of individual works and 2 installations drawn from a
series of small works by each artist, it is the inaugural art fair presentation
by Q LIC/NYC, a project of BeauArts Ltd.
“Liquid Time”
Paintings by
Danny Licul and Dean Radinovsky
curated by
Linda DiGusta
on view at
Fridge Art Fair in Miami December 5-8, 2013
