Sight Visit
Calico Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
On view: June 10 - July 17, 2022
Recent works by Jon Bocksel & Kenji Nakayama
Opening Reception:
June 10, 2022 - 6:00-9:00pm
Sight Visit - a play on words referencing the point at which a tradesperson would visit a location to better understand and envision the scope of a project.
Sight Visit at Calico showcases artworks by two skilled tradespeople that work in the field of professional sign painting while maintaining consistent studio practices alongside their craft. Jon Bocksel (Brooklyn, NY) and Kenji Nakayma (Boston, MA) individually create artworks that utilize tools, techniques, and materials used in commercial sign painting.
Jon Bocksel’s recent dwellings on time led him to produce a series of non-traditional clocks - ones that reflect cycles of tides or phases of the moon. The artist, especially over the past two years, has given much thought to what time actually is and how we measure it as a society. This “time” series complements other works of invented “letters”, which intricately combine elements from several characters into a newly assembled shape which may appear to the viewer as both familiar and unknown.
Kenji Nakayama, originally from Japan, experiments with lettering and language within his paintings in a way that contorts recognizable forms into layers of lines and shapes reminiscent of mosaics. The paintings create a unique visual dialogue between the artist’s conscious and subconscious thoughts. The results of these explorations exude diligence of practice and pointed abstraction. Such dichotomy is a perfect example of how Bocksel and Nakayma ride a line somewhere between fine art and vocational craft.
Jon Bocksel (b. 1983, NY) split most of his childhood between the suburbs of Chicago and New Jersey. Jon is a commercial sign painter by trade, known for reverse glass painting, gold leaf lettering, and storefront design in New York City. Between commercial lettering projects, Jon makes experimental films and paintings - most of which employ lettering, language, and hard-edged line work. His artwork has been reviewed by Color Magazine, Jettison Quarterly, Williamsburg/Greenpoint Art News, Juxtapoz, and the New York Times. Jon Bocksel received his BFA from Pratt Institute in 2005 and lives and works in Brooklyn.
Kenji Nakayama (b. 1979, Hokkaido, Japan) lives and works in Boston, MA. Kenji moved from Japan to the US to attend Butera School of Art in Boston where he received a 2-year Sign Painting diploma in 2006. He is a sought after sign painter and designer in and around Boston, well known for his work with fine dining and other commercial establishments. Kenji’s studio work and sign painting practice overlap, and his most recent artwork experiments with letterform, shapes, balance of positive and negative, and color. He has exhibited his artwork globally and has been featured in Juxtapoz, The Villager, and The Boston Globe.
