Contemporary Art Continues to Move to Next Levels; Introducing “GLITCH ART”
Sixteen different pieces will be part of Analog Surrealism, pictured above as part of the Exhibition at JKCG is: The Duality of Anxiety, St. John, Swimming
As curated by Photographer, Scholar, and Curator Michael Chovan-Dalton at the James Kearny Campus Gallery in Trenton, NJ, Analog Surrealism by Trenton-based artist Phillip McConnell’s exhibition will be on view from November 8th through December 4th, 2021. Analog Surrealism’s opening reception includes an artist talkback from 6:30-8:00pm. McConnell will discuss the makings, processes and philosophy behind this unique, new art form.
Analog Surrealism will feature sixteen new works by McConnell, a New Jersey based digital contemporary artist and will be the exploration of not only a new body of work but a new style for the artist. This body of work juxtaposes two different mediums (photography and digital art) against each other to create something vibrant and fresh. This is a new take on the aesthetic medium of Glitch Art that Phillip is used to working in.
Glitch Art is the aesthetic of digital errors, created by corrupting the data of pictures. To create the work, a picture file is converted into text files using a basic program called Notepad ++. Using the text file within the program the data of the picture is manually manipulated by adding or subtracting color codes and by taking pieces of other pictures and blending them with each other. Once the images are distorted enough, they are combined using notepad program and the text file is exported as a JPG picture file. The pieces in the show vary in size as well as subject matter.
Phillips’s work deals with the raw data of pictures, no different than a programmer writing lines of code to create a digital platform. Phillip sees his work as alchemical in nature as he creates a new image by breaking down two different mediums to their base elements and merging them to create a single amalgamation of a picture. On your first viewing of the work, there is a lot of information to process from the meaning but to the different techniques that exist within the work. But as you examine the canvas you notice small, subtle nuances within each piece that beg the question, did I see everything the piece had to offer on first-glance?
By taking a storytelling approach in enlivening the portrait pieces with the Glitch aesthetic and infusing stagnant situations with a new sense of purpose and life. This body of work evokes a sense of vulnerability as he sets out to communicate the importance of being a black creative but as a young man. This body of work is, above all else, reflective.
To learn more about Phillip McConnell’s work visit https://www.phillipmcconnellart.com, or save your space for the opening reception at: JKC Gallery: https://jkcgallery.online