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Heroworship: A Graphic Tale of Epic Proportions August 6 - September 18. 2010

Jay Hollick

Jay Hollick, Jesus on Toast( detail from triptych) mixed Media on panel, 24" x 24".

What if Superman was a real person; someone who would use his powers to do good and protect us. Would we worship him as a god? There are already lunch pales and action figures dedicated to Superman as a comic book character, but how far would we go to deify such a person even after his death? The extreme might be that we begin to see his face or symbolic 'S' appearing on everything including mundane objects like pieces of bread. This might seem extreme, and yet we find the image of Jesus on everything from slices of toast to road signs and we worship these images as signs from a higher power. These ordinary objects are transformed into relics that we place great importance on simply because of the image they depict.

Referencing iconographic painting, I have created three panels that elevate mundane objects to relics. Displaying them as the central focus I have made it difficult to distinguish where the importance lies, whether it be the figure found on the object or the object itself. I am interested in how strange our belief system can be when we find the image of Mary on a turtle, or Jesus on a piece of toast or even Elvis as a spot on a dog.

I am a student of the arts studying for my Masters degree at the University of South Florida. I make use of the flexibility of drawing to evaluate society. My interest lies in the social norms and cultural standards that we as a society live by and believe in. I am curious to the values we hold in high regard. By using the vernacular of the cartoon I satirize personal stories from my life and juxtapose them with pop culture references from society. My current body of work explores this relationship utilizing the bound form as a means of representation.

Education

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORDIA, 2009-2012

MFA

CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, 2004-2008

BFACum Laude Emphasis in Painting

Internship

Atelier Van Lieshout, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2007

Internship to work with Joep van Lieshout’s multidisciplinary art company

Solo Exhibitions

2009 “Pecking Order Established,” WSU Tri-Cities Consolidated Information Center,

Richland, WA

2008 “Play” C. Farrell Merit Scholarship Project, Sarah Spurgeon Gallery,

Ellensburg, WA

2007 Gallery Exhibition, You And I Framing, Kennewick, WA

Group Exhibitions

2010 “Shut Your Mouth While You're Talking To Me,” Oliver Gallery, Tampa, FL

2009 “Goodbye Victoria,” Gallery [5]Art, The Cuban Club/Crowbar, Tampa, FL

2009 MFAO Graduate Student Exhibition, Centre Gallery, Tampa, FL

2008 Chancellor’s Exhibition Series, WSU Tri-Cities, Richland, WA

Juror: Douglas Gast, Assistant Professor of Fine Arts WSU Tri-Cities

2008 5 th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Sarah Spurgeon Gallery, Ellensburg, WA

Juror: Andy Cooperman, Metal smith/Jeweler

2008 Student Art Auction, Sarah Spurgeon Gallery, Ellensburg, WA

2007 “On Writing” Central Washington University Writing Center, Ellensburg, WA

2007 First Amendment Festival, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA

2007 4 th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Sarah Spurgeon Gallery, Ellensburg, WA

Juror: Fionn Meade, curator for public programs at the Henry Art Gallery

2006 3 rd Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Sarah Spurgeon Gallery, Ellensburg, WA

Grants/Awards

2008 Cum Laude

2008 C. Farrell Merit Scholarship

Award to fund independent study and project

Lectures

2009 Pecking Order Established, WSU Tri-Cities Consolidated Information Center

2008 Play, Symposium on University Research and Creative Expression

Central Washington University lecture series