"how ounces become tons," an exhibition focused on intricately detailed drawings and idiosyncratic patterns, will run from November 30, 2011, through January 31, 2012.

Gallery Space at Wagner to Host Exhibit of Works by Studio Artist and Steinhardt Student Joseph Imhauser
Sheet Rock Blanket, by Joseph Imhauser

New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, in partnership with the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, is pleased to announce the opening of how ounces become tons, the second exhibition of the 2011-2012 season. Curated by NYU Steinhardt faculty Ann Chwatsky and NYU Wagner’s Frankie Crescioni-Santoni, the exhibit features drawings and mixed-media works by studio artist Joseph Imhauser. An opening reception is scheduled for Wednesday, November 30, 6:00-8:00pm, and is open to the public via RSVP at wagner.nyu.edu/events.

With how ounces become tons, Imhauser presents a collection of intricately detailed drawings focusing on what he denominates as idiosyncratic patterns. The pieces seek to explore issues of origin, formation, and assimilation of pattern-based shapes, as well as their incursion into their immediate environment and our everyday lives. The creation, accumulation, and dispersion of these pattern elements constitute a highly personal process for the artist, and the resulting drawings and drawing collages are not only connected by pulsating color schemes and imaginative geometric juxtapositions, but also by a visual narrative that surpasses the parameters of the artwork surface.

Imhauser, who is also a musician and community organizer, graduated from CalArts in 2005 and is currently completing a Masters of Fine Arts at NYU Steinhardt (MFA 2012). His artworks, performances, and videos have been featured at numerous venues both locally and  internationally, including: Aquaspace, Atlanta, GA; HBC, Berlin; Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions and Elysian Park Museum of Art, Los Angeles; NYU Steinhardt and CUNY Graduate Center, New York City; Galerie Michel Journiac, Paris; Highways Performance Space, Santa Monica, CA; Teatro Oficina, São Paulo; and New Screen Television, Tampa, Florida.

Of his experimentation with pattern work, Imhauser says, “My approach is multi-faceted yet simplistic, starting with each material and combining them based on relationships I have built with that particular element. From this starting point a similar, fundamental approach is given to each of the pieces from the inception of every conversation or dialogue within each piece.”

The Gallery at Wagner is at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, 295 Lafayette Street (at the corner of Houston Street), 2nd Fl., New York, N.Y. (Subways: B/D/F/M trains to Broadway-Lafayette, 6 train to Bleecker Street, or N/R/W trains to Prince Street).

For information on viewing hours, please contact Patrick Terborg or Frankie Crescioni-Santoni  at 212.998.7400, or email: wagner.gallery@nyu.edu. how ounces become tons runs from November 30, 2011 through January 31, 2012.

Press Contact

Robert Polner
Robert Polner
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