The Goldsworthy of Coffee Shop Project: Jonathan Brilliant at the U of M

For release: October 1, 2009
For press information, contact Simone Notter Wilson (901) 678-4164

A large body of Jonathan Brilliant's work is driven by two forces: the coffee shop and found objects. "The Goldsworthy of Coffee Shop Project" includes both. His "Have Sticks Will Travel World Tour," a part of the project, is a marathon series of site-specific installations in eight galleries on two continents, including Jones Hall Gallery at the University of Memphis. Brilliant's Memphis installation, which he will craft during his two-week residency at the U of M, opens on October 8, 2009 with an artist reception from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The artist will give a talk on October 6 at 11:30 a.m. in Jones Hall, room 214. The exhibition runs through October 30. All events are free and open to the public.

For the "Coffee Shop Project," Brilliant assumes the role of a British artist who gathers materials in his natural environment and uses them to execute site-specific installations. In Brilliant's version the natural environment is the coffee shop, and his materials are found within this environment. The resulting work is both ironic and labor intensive with a traditional craft based sensibility, with Brilliant exploring the concept of the coffee shop environment being a more organic and nurturing place than the real natural environment. To reflect this belief he creates organic installations using the coffee stirrer and a tensile strength weaving technique.

His installation in Jones Hall Gallery is a continuation of this process. He will develop an entirely new site-responsive work focused on the unique features and architecture of the gallery. The creation of the work entirely in situ is grounded in his belief that the gallery space is in direct conflict to the space where art is normally created and conceived. In order to dissolve these boundaries, Brilliant tries whenever possible to create his work in the place where it will be exhibited.

His delicate but often monumental installations provide a visceral experience for the audience, often engaging new audiences that normally wouldn't consider contemporary art.

About Jonathan Brilliant

Jonathan Brilliant is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. He holds a B.A. in studio art from the College of Charleston and an M.F.A. in Spatial Arts from San Jose State University. He has exhibited his work in several group and solo exhibitions nationally. He has received numerous fellowships tow artist residencies and communities at the Ox-Bow School of Art, The Penland School of Crafts, The Sumter Accessibility Program, and The Redux Contemporary Art Center.
In 2007 he was awarded a Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship in sculpture to attend the Vermont Studio Center. In December 2008 Brilliant was awarded the Bridge Art Fair emerging artist prize. In November he will be making his curatorial debut with "Things," an interdisciplinary exhibition of sculpture for The Eye Level Art Gallery. Brilliant is represented by the Dam Stuhltrager Gallery in New York, Pezgordo Gallery in Mexico, and Plum Elements in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to site-specific installations, Brilliant works with drawing, sculpture, photography, and digital imaging.