INTO, 2013, Stonewear, photograph; pine, aluminum, acrylic, rope, and paint, 19 by 32 by 7 inches (48.3 by 81.3 by 17.8 cm), Photo Credit: Lisa Albaugh. Courtesy of On Stellar Rays
Combining found objects, construction materials and ceramics, the wall-hung sculptures in JJ PEET’s exhibition “Magicstance” are excellent messengers of the artist’s manifesto, “From Brain to Hand to Object.” Most include a stagelike surface made of porcelain, marble or wood, on which PEET arranges found photos depicting some type of protest, riot or other chaotic event along with handmade ceramics. In Shieldnews (2015) PEET takes a porcelain figurine of two people clad in Victorian dress examining an important seeming document. He positions the pair so that they turn their backs to a black-and-white photo of riot police officers, whose faces the artist has obscured by smears of white paint. The caption reads “…riot police come to the aid of a fellow officer after an explosion…” Considering the global prevalence of violence and unrest, it’s sobering to realize how unspecific that caption is.
Pictured: JJ PEET: INTO, 2013, stonewear, photograph, pine, aluminum, acrylic, rope and paint, 19 by 32 by 7 inches. Photo Lisa Albaugh. Courtesy On Stellar Rays.