The End of All Dreams, paintings by Kris Risto
Frame Shop Gallery
April 24, 2009 through July 11, 2009
A public reception will be held during
Gallery Night, Friday, June 12, 2009 from 7–10 p.m.
Kris Risto has a unique vision, which he has been expressing in his artwork since childhood. Fantastic things happen in Risto’s paintings. The artist’s mystical visions combine religious imagery, current events, science fiction, and images reflecting his Balkan heritage. In this new exhibition, Risto’s recent work reflects the change in his surroundings brought about by a move to the country. “Slowly, the landscape seeped into my subconscious, and so for the first time in my life I began to paint it. Not pure landscapes devoid of human presence, but landscapes that serve as mystic backdrops for my characters— figures from the past, present and (possibly) future.”
Risto’s paintings have always appeared to be visualizations of his thoughts, just shaken up and poured out onto the canvas. In this most recent work, the images are presented clearly, and seem to directly address the viewer. They brim with ideas, but their meaning can be elusive. “As I paint,” Risto says, “I allow ideas to flow automatically, without concern for rational order—the same way our minds work while dreaming. I find a landscape or sky space that catches my attention, then populate it with the irrational, which creates an image that puzzles me. I often have to sit back after a piece is completed and try to decipher its meaning. I usually find insight into what I have been thinking about subconsciously.”
The comparison with Surrealism is unavoidable. Like the Surrealists, Risto presents us with surprising juxtapositions that jog our minds, suggesting that these are things we knew but must have forgotten. Also, he embraces the validity of the dream as a form of both experience and expression. Risto states, “I want the viewer to experience a sensation similar to the confused moment of uncertainty just before waking at the end of all dreams.”
Kris Risto is a lifelong resident of Erie. He holds a BFA degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. |
