Walk into a gallery, and the good shows transport you into another world. And not necessarily the immersive installations that employ technology and trickery to prepossess, or an artist who wields massive scale to surround and ensnare you. No, we are talking about a good story, a narrative the artist has created just as riveting as the works on the wall. Mark Ryden has long been the master of this universe-creation, and one of our favorite emerging artists, Bay Area-based Cannon Dill, in his newest solo show, A Song That Kissed The Garden, weaves a loose and playful storyline. Dill’s newest body of work portrays a fictional narrative of a group of poets who stumble upon a vacant mansion in the countryside. Days lounging nude in the garden, enjoying the recently deceased’s secret stash of tea while living amongst his most valuable possessions, includes the release of a captive tiger who now roams the estate. The work ranges from portrait to landscape, depicting specific moments during their stay, painted in Dill’s fast, crunchy brushwork and flat abstracted compositions.
The show will take place at pt.2 Gallery’s Oakland gallery, with private viewings available from July 14—August 1, 2020 —Evan Pricco
