bio | artist statement | Daniel Bodner
II began painting in the early 1980s with a focus on the human figure. As I explored space in relation to the figure, I sought to find a middle ground between the traditional notion of depicted space and the flat space of Modernism.
The formal qualities of my earlier paintings recall decaying photographs, drawings or artifacts, with surface textures that reference processes such as mold and oxidization. These qualities are visual metaphors for the human experience, and together with the image of the figure, refer to themes of solitude, alienation, and desire. This exploration spanned 20 years, including more than a decade spent in Amsterdam.
In 2005 I returned to New York City where my focus shifted to the depiction of light as it describes, or in some cases obliterates, space and figures. I replaced abstract space with urban landscapes, now generating my images from the streets of the city. Space and figures appear more realistic but are often distorted or abstracted by light.
Date of Birth June 26, 1963
EDUCATION
1986-87 Studied at The Art Students’ League, New York
1985 B.A. in Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2009 “New Work”, Allen Sheppard Gallery, New York
2008 “New York Paintings”, Galerie Hof & Huyser, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2007 “Paintings,” Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago
2007 “New Paintings,” Allen Sheppard Gallery, New York
2005 “New Paintings,” Allen Sheppard Gallery, New York
2004 “New Paintings,” Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago
2003 “New Paintings,” Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago
2001 “Paintings from 1997 to 2001,” Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago
1999 “New Paintings,” Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago
1998 “Malerei,” Galerie+Edition Renate Schroeder, Koln, Germany
1997 “Paintings and Drawings,” Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago
“Malerei,” Galerie + Edition Renate Schroeder, Koln, Germany
1996 “New Work,” Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago
1995 “Recent Work,” Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago
“Recent Work,” Galerie De La Tour, Amsterdam, Netherlands
1994 Librije Museum of Contemporary Art, Zwolle, Netherlands
1992 Galerie Over de Dam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2006 “Paintings on the Edge”, Crossman Gallery, UW- Whitewater
“Summer Show”, Galerie Hof and Huyser, Amsterdam, NL
“Peer Pressure,” Allen Sheppard Gallery, New York
“Best of the Lab,” Yellow Bird Gallery, Newburgh, NY
2005 “The Reality Show,” The Lab Gallery, New York
1996 “Approaching the Figure,” Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago
1995 “Personal Heroes II,” Galerie De La Tour, Amsterdam, NL
“A Celebration of Jewish Presence,” Haggerty Museum of Art,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1993 Cologne Art Fair (Aschenbach Gallery, Amsterdam, NL)
1990 Brecht Forum Gallery, New York, New York
AWARDS
2000 Pollack Krasner Foundation Grant
EXPERIENCE
2005 San Francisco Art Institute, Summer Grad. program mentor
2001 Das Arts Art Academy, project mentor, Amsterdam, NL.
1990-2005 Lived and painted in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1998 Created ceiling for The Knitting Factory, New York City
1988 Lived and painted in Berlin, Germany
1986-1988 Worked for Ron Feldman Gallery, Pace Gallery, Guggenheim Museum, Queens Museum, Nancy Graves, Ida Applebroog,
and Komar & Melamid, New York City