Ciudad #9

About Johnny Taylor

Johnny Taylor was just ten years old when he received his first artistic commission: a weekly comic strip. He demonstrated his talent through countless graphical variations on his inspirations: art, music, film, Mad magazine, the band… Read more

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Johnny Taylor was just ten years old when he received his first artistic commission: a weekly comic strip. He demonstrated his talent through countless graphical variations on his inspirations: art, music, film, Mad magazine, the band Kiss, and Star Wars. One thing was clear to the young American at an early age: he wanted to be an artist.

Originally from Helena, Arkansas, Taylor was drawn to Memphis, a city full of creative energy, to study Art History. His artistic career began on New Year’s Eve in 1992 with the enthusiastic resolution to produce three images every day in 1993.

This immensely productive phase lead to regular exhibitions of his works, in which Taylor explores the fleeting nature of modern urban life. His collages mix brightly coloured surfaces with graphic drawings and screen-printed elements – a continuation of his earlier cartoon style. The combination of graffiti and layered acrylic colours produces a vibrant tension in which each individual layer reveals something of the one beneath it.

Everyday sights such as window displays, logos, comics and, above all, advertising images are a rich source of inspiration for the artist. He brings them all together in his so-called “post-modern landscapes”. The main goal of art for Johnny Taylor is to reveal a new perspective on the world. This remains the focus of his work in Los Angeles, California, where he is currently based.

VITA

1971	Born in Helena, Arkansas, USA
1996	Bachelor of Fine Arts and Art History from University of Memphis, USA

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

2009	FLEA Store, Los Angeles, USA
2008	Everything in the world has changed, Yard Dog Gallery, Marfa, USA
2007	Twenty Seven, Jay Etkin Gallery, Memphis, USA
	Arts at the Airport, Nashville International Airport, Nashville, USA
2006	Present Perfect, Vue Gallery, Memphis, USA
2005	Texas Medicine, Jay Etkin Gallery, Memphis,USA

Group Exhibitions

2012	Urban Discovery, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA
	Aerial, Jules Place, Boston, USA
2011	Local Color, Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, USA
	LA-Zurich, Kunstwarenhaus, Zurich, Switzerland
	Atomic Vision, Tria Gallery, New York, USA
	COLORS, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA
	Everything But the Kitschen Sync, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
2010	Made Out of Beautiful (Pop/UnPop), Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, USA
2009	Little Exaltations, Deffebach Gallery, Hudson, USA
2008	Art Outside 2008, Enchanted Forest, Austin, USA
	Pop Art Now, Matrix Fine Art, Albuquerque, USA