Jack Avila: Make Shift

LOCATION: Alto Gallery - 1900 35th St, Suite B

CATEGORIES: Art Events | First Fridays

PAST DATE AND TIME:

• Fri, Apr 5, 2024 - Sat, Apr 27, 2024  

Join us at Alto Gallery First Friday, April 5, 6–10pm, for the opening reception of Make Shift, a solo exhibition of works by Denver-based artist Jack Avila. Reception free and open to the public. On view through April 27, 2024.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Hi i’m Jack Avila (JVAB) Welcome to my solo show, where I invite you to experience the intricate interplay of paint, collage, and assemblage in my art. Through these diverse mediums, I explore the rich tapestry of human experience, weaving together fragments of memory, emotion, and imagination.In each piece, layers of paint dance across the canvas, capturing the essence of moments both fleeting and profound. Through the tactile process of collage, I incorporate found objects, ephemera, and personal mementos, infusing each composition with a sense of history and narrative depth. Assemblage breathes life into the unexpected, as disparate elements come together to form new meanings and associations, sparking connections between the past and present.Themes of nostalgia, transformation, and the resilience of the human spirit echo throughout my work, inviting viewers to embark on a journey of exploration and introspection. By embracing the fluidity of paint, the texture of collage, and the juxtaposition of assemblage, I seek to evoke a visceral response, stirring the senses and stirring the soul. As you immerse yourself in this collection, I encourage you to embrace the beauty of imperfection, and abstraction to celebrate the magic of spontaneity, and to discover the hidden stories waiting to be uncovered within each layer of paint, collage, and assemblage. This is more than just art – it's a testament to the power of creativity to transcend boundaries, spark connection, and illuminate the human experience.

BIO

Jack Avila is an artist native to Colorado working and living in Denver. Studied at Metropolitan State University in the heart of Denver.

Jack’s work has bloomed through an informal introduction into the art world through graffiti, community art, murals, religious art, abandoned areas, urban exploration, tattooing and cartooning. Jack also studied drawing, ceramics and explored various new mediums which has helped morph his art into what it is today.

This current work now focuses on composition of space by considering all options visual elements allow as they come; never to shy away from new materials and techniques he maintains an air of exploration and experimentation. These elements and their infinite combinations consistently feed Jack’s work with endless possibilities. This is a freedom Jack will take advantage of thru utilizing everything and anything at hand as material to create from ; industrial, found, acquired or traditional artist materials. Using what he collects to deliver and document a spatial composition that draws its viewers’ eye throughout the piece rhythmically, so as to capture the viewer.

Recently, Jack’s work moves back and forth from completely abstract pieces to narrative pieces through collage, reusing collected images. Leaving the viewer to choose what is implied or what is only happenstance in the images and the elements combined with them. Yet again providing another wide range of creative freedom he absolutely enjoys.