BRIAN KENNY — PLEASE SHOOT

HI, WOW! NIGHT HOWL! MULTI-MEDIA ARTIST BRIAN KENNY TAKES RARE VINTAGE SHOOTING TARGET PAPER PRINTED W/ REALISTIC PHOTOGRAPHS OF VILLAINS — HAUNTING AND DISTURBING ON THEIR OWN — THEN LAYERS, PAINTS ‘N SEWS ELEGANT ANGSTY-AUTOMATIC-AND-AUTOBIOGRAPHIC MARKS UP ON ‘EM.

THE RESULTS ARE A SERIES OF DEEP-DIVE-WORTHY, MESMERIZING, LUSH, SENSUAL, BACCHANALIAN TABLEAUX.

SHOOT THONG — KENNY’S HAND REDACTS HIS TARGETS AND TAKES CONTROL OF THEIR MENACING QUALITY WITH FAST N’ FURIOUS STROKES.

THE ARTIST AND ART-PROCESS TRANSFORM AN INHERENT VIOLENCE OF A SHOOTING TARGET INTO SURREALISTIC-SPIRITUAL SCENES THAT MAY CALL TO MIND THE RAPTUROUS PAIN OF ST SEBASTIAN — AN EARLY CHRISTIAN MARTYR USUALLY DEPICTED IN ART TIED TO A TREE AND SHOT UP WITH ARROWS.

KENNY’S DRAWINGS, LIKE SEBASTIANS WHO ULTIMATELY TRANSENDED THEIR TORTURE, SEEM TO LEVEL-UP VIA A SOUL-WROUGHT-WRANGLING FROM THE ASOMATOUS INTO THE PALPABLE.

THE HOLE TRUTH: THE ARTIST HERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE A SAINT THO BRO HIS NARRATIVE SUGGESTS A STRONG FLIRTATION WITH MYSTICISM. THE MYSTIC KNOWS WITH CERTAINTY: “AS ABOVE, SO BELOW,” — THAT THE MICROCOSM REFLECTS THE MACROCOSM.

AND FOR A CHANGE TO OCCUR ONE MUST BE P̶A̶R̶T̶ ̶O̶F̶ THE CHANGE.

INDEED, HERE WE GO AGAIN. THE MYSTIC AND MARTYR MAYN’T AGREE MIRACLES ARE IN FACT TARGETS.

OK SO... WHAT? NO CHOICE TONITE? FOCUS ON MORE OF BRIAN KENNY’S ARTWORK IN HIS FIRST EXHIBITION HERE AT MACHAMUX: TARGETS.

HOLDING SPACE,

MACHAMUX GALLERY.

BRIAN KENNY was born on an American military base in Heidelberg, Germany in 1982, and presently lives and works in NYC. His portfolio includes commissions and collaborations with Christian Lacroix, Walter Van Beirendonck, Yacine Aouadi, and Bruno Magli as well as extensive ongoing projects in partnership with his friend, photographer Slava Moutin.