PRESS RELEASE
John Adelman: One of Two
Nov 23, 2013 – Feb 15, 2014
Holly Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of, John Adelman: One of Two, an exhibition of new drawings that elicit astonishing imagery from painstaking work with logical systems. An opening reception will be held for the artist on Saturday, November 23 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. This exhibition marks the artist's fourth solo show with the gallery and it continues through February 15.
In his work, Adelman follows rules that dominate his mark-making, his exploration of subject matter, and even his tools - which are almost exclusively limited to black, blue, and white gel ink pens. These works are accumulative and compulsive, and anything but austere. Intricate and labor-intensive; they also portray how far he is willing to go to follow the rules and achieve order.
Adelman often deploys the dictionary and its definitions as source material, yet he also adheres to the rigors of chance, outlining tens of thousands of objects as they fall on his page. With his use of unconventional materials and his obsessive method, Adelman's work could easily either be dismissed or overly simplified, if it weren't for the understated beauty in the results.
John Adelman received an M.F.A. in Drawing and Painting from the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas (2006) and a B.F.A. in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio (1992). He currently resides in Houston, Texas.
Recent solo exhibitions include the upcoming, Two of Two, Nicole Longnecker Gallery, Houston, TX (2013); Drawings, Mutlu Sanat Odasi, Istanbul, Turkey (2012); Elixir, Darke Gallery, Houston, TX (2012); The Drawing Room, The Galveston Art Center, Galveston, TX (2008) and the BIG Show and Drawing In Space, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX (2008). Recent international exhibitions include Bystander, Galerie Luzanky, Brno, Czech Republic (2010) and Premio Colomba, Venice, Italy (2008). Selected bibliography includes the Houston Press, (2012; the Dallas Observer (2011); Modern Dallas (2011); Art this week, (2011); and The Dallas Morning News, (2007).