Jonathan Franklin
inside / outside
Opening reception Sat. June 12th, 3 – 8pm
Exhibition continues through July 3rd

“INnside Out-outSidE iN »
To invert. To take out of context. To place out of order.
To reinvent. To transform.

the process: revisiting, revising, regenerating

“From the outset my work as an art maker the figure is central to my work, but as a means to an end and not an end in itself. It is not its literal representation that inspires me but its less tangible essence that I attempt to project outward from within: inside out as opposed to outside in.

‘What It Is’ has become the starting point, the pallet on which the structure of my exhibit is built. The show was organized organically, as a work in progress. One piece suggested the need for yet another. Some works are defined by existing architecture as in the location of a wall or window or passageway while other installations were site specific. Works ordinarily hung inside on walls are now free standing outside in the yard, in the elements and vice versa.

The show refers to my interests in interpersonal relationships and the conflicts that may occur in the process of revealing and concealing emotions, thoughts, ideas, even gestures. What to give, what to take. What to say, when to say it. What to see, how to listen. The list goes on. The essence of the work is quite abstract and yet it is intuitive and accessible. But all of these issues intersect in the realm of mystery and in how expectations can be perceived, interrupted and transformed.”

BIOGRAPHY
Born in Michigan, the son of a civil engineer, Jonathan Franklin spent much of his childhood in Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. After studying art at the University of Michigan, he moved to Israel where he lived on a kibbutz and first began painting and working as printmaker. During that period he also served in the Israeli Army.
Jonathan has been a visual artist for well over 30 years. Besides painting, Jonathan enjoys writing, doing set design, and periodically performing in local theater. Currently he is a teaching artist and conducts art workshops and residencies in public schools throughout Chicago.