Mahan Gallery is pleased to present Running Animal an exhibition of new works by Ohio artists Jessica Langley and Mimi McCann.
Jessica Langley views nature as inspiration, as ritual, and the subject of fascination. Animal decomposition, cat auras, a black abyss, individual rocks rendered scientifically- all instances hold Langley's artistic attention. With her most recent body of work, Langley gravitates toward images of camouflage patterns, yoga mats and tents. To her, the duality of each objects ability to protect from nature while at the same time bringing one closer to it is a motivational force. By juxtaposing both spartan and graphic imagery, Langley aims to monumentalize her imagined or physically observed subjects within nature.
Jessica received her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. She currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio, and is an instructor at Youngstown State University. Along with being exhibited nationally and internationally, her work has been featured in many publications including New American Paintings.
Mimi McCann's mixed media work is a response to her attraction to everyday images and materials. McCann's series of work for Running Animal concentrates on the allure and indifference of tabloid magazine imagery. Finding enjoyment in liberating the subjected celebrity from their tabloid imprisonment, she reinstates them into her own imagined world. Whether easily recognizable, or obscured and vague, the newly captured specimen becomes raw material for McCann's pieces. Unsure of her feelings towards the tabloid industry as a whole, McCann finds the meditative state of procuring images to create work the driving force behind her creative process.
Mimi received her BFA from Ohio State University. Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Worthington, Ohio, her life as an artist began under the guidance of her grandfather who was a self-taught painter. She resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and their two daughters.
Curator(s)
Jacquie Mahan
