James Sheehan (born 1964, San Francisco) is an artist based out of New York City known for his works in miniature. Sheehan studied art history and fine arts at U.C. Berkeley and completed his MFA at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, and in Rome, Italy. He moved to New York City in 1994.
When working in miniature, Sheehan is intentionally playing with scale, depicting world events and the mundane with equal magnitude. His paintings are often no more than stamp sized and "reconfigure public events (often public fictions or lies) in terms of their visual organization (which, scaled down, seen from odd and unintended angles, are revealed as well-organized fakes)." When exhibited, they are frequently set into the wall of the gallery space to create a keyhole effect and magnifying glasses are provided for viewing. Sheehan also produces large scale works, including collage and mixed-media.
Sheehan has been the recipient of many grants, awards and residencies including the New York Foundation for the Arts, ARCUS Residency in Japan, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Residency in the World Trade Center, the Pollock-Krasner, and Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation Grant. He has presented lectures on his work at the Whitney Museum, National Academy Museum and the 92nd St Y Art Center in New York City. He was in the second to last Lower Manhattan Cultural Council residency at the World Trade Center in 2000 and knew many of the artists who would take residency there the following year. The events of September 11, 2001 had a deeply personal impact on him, which was reflected in his work during his 2001âÂÂ2002 residency in Japan, where he "explored the power of image as a socio-political assault". The theme was revisited a decade later at the 2012 show at the New York State Museum, "Before the Fall: Remembering the World Trade Center".
Selected solo shows
- 2015-16 âÂÂJames Sheehan: Death of Malevichâ âÂÂYear long installation The Drawing Center New York, NY
- 2015 âÂÂat the lekâ Songs for Presidents Queens, NY
- 2002 âÂÂPaintingsâ Galerie Schedler Zurich, Switzerland
- 2000 âÂÂPaintingsâ Galerie Schedler Zurich, Switzerland
- 2000 âÂÂPoolâ Joseph Rickards Gallery New York, NY
- 1999 âÂÂPaintings, James Sheehanâ M du B, F,H & G, curated by Hudson Montreal, Quebec
Selected group shows
- 2015 âÂÂBarely Thereâ Lesley Heller Workspace New York, NY âÂÂHeadstrongâ Adam Baumgold Gallery New York, NY
- 2014 âÂÂSmallâ The Drawing Center New York, NY âÂÂâÂÂlil Artworldâ Regina Rex / Harbor Gallery Brooklyn, NY
- 2012 "Before the Fall: Remembering the World Trade Center" New York State Museum Albany, NY
- 2011 âÂÂWanderlustâ Yes! Gallery Brooklyn, NY
- 2009 "2 x 3 x 10" vertexList Brooklyn, NY
- 2006 "181st Annual: An Invitational" The National Academy Museum New York, NY
- 2005 "Young American Artists of Today" Kolodzei Art Foundation Moscow, Russia
- 2005 "PpAaIiNnTtIiNnGg" ParaSite Art Space Beacon, NY "Interested Painting" Gallery 400 Chicago, IL
- 2004 "Working in Brooklynâ Brooklyn Museum of Art Brooklyn, NY
- 2003 Prague Biennale âÂÂLazarus Effectâ Veletrzni Palace Museum Prague, Czech Republic
- 2003 âÂÂEhrensaalâ Haus der Kunst Museum Munich, Germany
- 2003 âÂÂAmeriéan Dre@mâ Ronald Feldman Gallery New York, NY âÂÂWater Waterâ The Rotunda Gallery Brooklyn, NY
- 2002 âÂÂPainting as Paradoxâ Artists Space New York, NY
- 2002 âÂÂArtists to Artistsâ ACE Gallery New York, NY
- 2002 âÂÂARCUS Tokyo Exhibitionâ Contemporary Art Factory Tokyo, Japan
- 2001 âÂÂEverybody Nowâ The Bertha & Karl Leubsdorf Gallery at Hunter College New York, NY
- 2000 âÂÂThe Figure: Another Side of Modernismâ The Snug Harbor Cultural Center Staten Island, NY
- 1999 âÂÂThe Sea, The Seaâ Murray Guy Gallery New York, NY
- 1998 âÂÂInteractionsâ Montgomery Gallery, Pomona College Los Angeles, CA âÂÂScale, Relatively Speakingâ Art in General New York, NY
References
External links