Wayne White

For his second solo exhibition at Clementine, Wayne White presents a diorama installation entitled "Southern Daddy Shame Ray" and a new series of text paintings done on thrift store lithographs. Transforming mass-distributed Ïsofa artÓ into original paintings, White explores artistic notions of high and low as well as authenticity. He further evolves these concepts by creating diptych and triptych paintings which are comprised of multiple versions of the same lithograph. In addition, his monumental architecturally-rendered text subtly pokes fun at outdoor corporate sculpture of the 60's and 70's (i.e., Robert Indiana, Mark de Suvero), and in doing so, equates the bland, status quo quality of these public art works with the pastoral Americana pictured in his second-hand lithographs.

Six-feet tall, circular, and complete with a viewing slot, "Southern Daddy Shame Ray"is a coin-operated, living tableau. Featuring a meticulous set and an animated puppet show which is activated when the viewer inserts a quarter, this piece hearkens back to the other side of White's career as a set designer and puppeteer. (White is an award winning production designer/art director for among other things, "Pee Wee's Playhouse" and Peter Gabriel's music video "Big Time"). Linked to the paintings through its exploration of escapism and pop culture, ÏSouthern Daddy Shame RayÓ also explores White's nostalgia for his Southern heritage. The title, like so many of WhiteÌs invented phrases, possesses a highly personal resonance; in this case, it refers to "the look of judgement" which according to White might come from any number of Southern male authority figures (Robert E. Lee, George Wallace, my own Daddy) and would evoke in the recipient a feeling of either guilt or pride. At the same time, this "look of judgement" might also be brought to bear on the larger act of looking at art, both as an artist and a viewer.

Born in Chatanooga, Tennessee, Wayne White lives and works in Los Angeles. WhiteÌs work was recently featured at the Cheekwood Museum in Tennessee and The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York; past exhibitions have received reviews in ArtForum, New York Magazine, and The Village Voice.