Tonight, Hashimoto Contemporary will be presenting "I am Another Yourself", the debut solo show by Joel Daniel Phillips. The artist will feature new charcoal and graphite portraits of San Francisco's frequently overlooked inhabitants. In order to learn and connect with the people in his local community, Phillips set out to get to know the men and women living within a 150 foot radius of his apartment. He dedicated time to crossing the acquaintance boundary and immersing himself into their life stories. As he accumulated these personal conversations, photographs served as his reference material. His meticulously realistic portraits focus on transmitting his subjects' essence and spirit. A simplified composition that isolates and centers the figure, allows the viewer's attention to remain on the details that bring to life these personalities. Phillips' renditions embrace his subjects' flaws by making them the necessary factors for perfectly capturing their narratives. "I am Another Yourself" is a reminder of how we're rarely aware of the impact certain people we let into our lives will have on us. Whatever the end result is, we remember those people for the one of a kind connection we shared.
In a statement about his recent body of work, Phillips elaborates on the nature of his portraiture, “I pursue ways to peel back the protective veils that we display to outside world, striving to capture the un-invented spontaneity of experience. Central to this search is a focus on the significance of narrative in human existence. Our lives are not linear, with one instant leading solely into the next, but rather circular, with each experience formed and defined by others. A portrait functions in the same manner, teasing out emotions and truths that inform not only the particular instant captured, but more importantly the story leading up to it.”
Joel Daniel Phillips' "I am Another Yourself" will be on view through September 27th. Take a look at a few preview images via the gallery.
Saturday, September 6th Hashimoto Contemporary 804 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 94109 www.hashimotocontemporary.com
