Brendan Lynch

Untitled is happy to announce Mountains Collection, a solo exhibition by Brendan Lynch.

In 1983, Robert Norman Ross, better known as Bob Ross, launched his television show, The Joy of Painting. The half-hour instructional program introduced Ross' oil painting techniques as he depicted his signature Alaskan landscapes. Throughout the series, Ross offered a democratizing entrance point to painting for his devoted viewers, while simultaneously embodying a connectedness with nature in a time of increased environmental destruction. Through 403 episodes, over 11 years of broadcasting, and current syndication Ross has encouraged millions of viewers to pick up a paint brush and indulge in the joy of painting.

Since beginning to work with the video series, Lynch has allowed his playful experiments to inform not only his technical approach to painting, but also further investigate the social location of landscape painting through Ross’s language. As a vehicle with immense social fluidity and historical weight, Lynch seeks to celebrate the breadth of artist’s sharing the rich terrain of Ross’s instructionals. In doing so, Lynch not only presents the breadth of Ross’s impact on painting but also provides a rare context of inclusion, generally unfamiliar to the gallery context.

For the installment of Mountains Collection at Untitled, the viewer is invited to peruse through items from Lynch’s studio: a monitor atop the artist’s desk playing Ross’s Joy of Painting and books from his personal collection. Viewers can occupy the rear of the gallery that has been transformed into an interactive lounge. A blue sky acts as a backdrop for a selection of paintings curated by Lynch, while the hypnotic sound bites from Ross’s colloquial painting lessons emanate from speakers disguised as rocks. Lynch facilitates a democratic space in which the objects and the participants are conduits for the transformation of the gallery into a venue of shared experience. Rather than having the space occupied solely by his own work, Lynch invites the audience as an equal contributor to challenge the hierarchies imposed by cultural institutions and expand the potential of Mountains Collection.

The exhibition at Untitled includes works by Bob Ross, Doug Hallgren, James Amatel, Jim Warren, Eli Teller, Louis Eisner, Mary McLeod, Yvonne Lass, Ull Hohn, a thrift store painting, Doug Hallgren, Thomas Lynch III, Mike Gigliotti, Susan Amatel, Daniel Heidkamp, Bernie Oropallo, Sam Monkarsh, Neil Raitt, Ellen Tye, a painting from Lynch’s parents house, Nick Darmstaeder, Brandan Meade, and William Mason Brown.

The second part of the exhibition is presented by The Still House Group and can be seen a 3 Howard St. New York, NY from January 24th - March 1st. These exhibitions will be accompanied by an artist’s book, which will be on view in both spaces also entitled Mountains Collection.

Special thanks to: Julie Shenkelberg and Moch for the mural and Ben Morsberger for the sound piece.

Brendan Lynch was born in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. He lives and works in New York. Lynch received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2011. He has had recent solo exhibitions at White Cube, London (2014), Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, New York (2014), and +1, New York (2014). He has also recently participated in group exhibitions at galleries and institutions including Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, Belgium (2014), American Academy, Rome, Italy (2013), The Fireplace Project, East Hampton, NY (2013), Roldophe Jenssen, Brussels, Belgium (2013), Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow, Russia (2011) and The Dia Foundation, New York (2008).