Porter Contemporary is pleased to announce Smoke and Mirrors, a solo exhibition of paintings by Jason Bryant from September 6 through October 20, 2012 with an opening reception with the artist on September 6th from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Bryant will explore loneliness, vulnerability and frailty through these beautifully photo-realistically rendered film stills coupled with either Bryant’s signature skateboard graphics which have become so popular or his pixelated characters. Heavily influenced by classic film, “Jason’s work is at a pinnacle with this exhibition and the idea itself has been something we’ve discussed for almost three years now, even before the huge success of his last solo show, Trilogy in 2010,” says Jessica L. Porter, Founder and Director of Porter Contemporary.

Highlights from the exhibition include new works Fabulously Flawed, pictured above, and Love & Lies, an oil on skateboard painting pictured right featuring graphics from a 1990 Powell Peralta skateboard. Each title from the series carries non-literal meaning of smoke and mirrors to portray a facade of confidence and how people use it to trick others into perceiving that all is well. “Sometimes we’re trying to balance chaotic moments or raptures in harmony like the bone breaking in the painting above,” says Jason Bryant, “and we use smoke and mirrors to convey a polished life but sometimes it’s broken.”

Artist Talk: September 20, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Gallery Hours: Wednesday 11 – 6 PM; Thursday 11 – 8 PM; Friday and Saturday 11 – 6 PM


About the Artist:


Jason Bryant’s paintings explore his fascination with film, skateboarding culture and the presentation of the self.  He was born in 1976 in Wilson, North Carolina and lives and works in New York City.  Jason Bryant received his BFA in Painting from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina in 1999, before completing his MFA at Maryland Institute College of Art in 2004. He moved to New York and has worked with such artists as Kehinde Wiley and Bjarne Melgaard. He has received a wide array of press concerning his artwork including most recently Juxtapoz Magazine, NY Arts Magazine, American Artist, Volume XI of Studio Visit Magazine (cover) and Thrasher Magazine (U.S. and France). His works are in a variety of notable collections including the Howard Tullman Collection in Chicago, IL and the West and Zimberg Collections in New York, NY.