SHAYNE MURPHY: Cataplexy

November 17 - December 30,2023

From Anya Tish Gallery: "What do you dream about? Anya Tish Gallery is pleased to present Cataplexy, the third solo exhibition by Texas-based artist Shayne Murphy featuring the artist’s masterly executed oil paintings, charcoal drawings, and a three-dimensional maquette. Murphy’s mystifying subjects of prehistoric animals, haunting landscapes, and ominous solar chambers reinforce paradoxical, ethereal realities, compelling the viewer to question what is real and what is imagined, and whether these concepts are mutually exclusive. Diagnosed in 2019 with Narcolepsy, Murphy describes his experience while living with this condition: “Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that involves irregular patterns in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and significant disruptions of the sleep-to-wake cycle. People with narcolepsy often experience hallucinations: vivid, realistic, and often frightening dreams that occur on the edge of unconsciousness. For people like myself with this condition, the dream and conscious realms can bleed into one another, creating a disorienting and surreal state of being.” A signature, large-format painting in Murphy’s new body of work is Giant Deer; in this work a deer skeleton takes center stage as a deity-like figure acting as “The Keeper” of the dream and conscious realms. The artist places the deer within an opera- like stage setting to celebrate the grandeur of this extinct animal, which inspired early humans to draw on cave walls over 20,000 years ago. Drawing visual inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood set design and from photos and sketches of his recent travel experiences, Murphy creates a new body of work that evokes his Narcoleptic fractured mental state. Executed in a rich color palette of romantic purples, scintillating marigolds, and velvety blacks, the works create a captivating environment within the intersection of the real and the artificial. Born in 1981, Shayne Murphy is currently based in Austin, Texas, where he teaches and makes art. In 2013, Murphy graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting from the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, and has exhibited in such venues as Blue Star Contemporary Museum, San Antonio, Texas; Lawndale Art Center, Houston, Texas; Texas A&M International University, Laredo, Texas; 500x Gallery, Dallas, Texas; Art League Houston, Houston, Texas; RawSalt, Laguna Beach, California; and the Kirk Hopper Fine Art, Dallas, Texas. In 2014, Murphy completed a year-long Artist Studio Program residency at Lawndale Art Center in Houston, Texas. His work can be found in numerous private and corporate collections, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas. His work has been featured in publications such as: New American Paintings (Volume 120), Hi-Fructose, The Houston Chronicle, Arts and Culture Texas, and Luxe Magazine."

Reception: November 17, 2023 | 6-8 pm

Anya Tish Gallery 4411 Montrose
Houston, TX 77006
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