Larissa Goldston Gallery is pleased to present a handful of my head, the first solo exhibition in New York of paintings by G. Bradley Rhodes. The exhibition will be on view from Thursday, February 15 through Thursday, March 22, 2007. There will be an opening reception for the artist on February 15 from 6 to 8 pm.

Drawing from his own experiences as a child growing up in the rural south, his new urban environment, and the abundant, pervasive imagery of popular culture, Rhodes brings together a massive cast of characters to create these fantastical compositions that investigate human relationships, social structures, political themes, religious uncertainty, and the psychological drama of everyday life in America. The paintings are at once humorous and macabre.

Reminiscent of the violent worlds of Bosch and Brueghel, the deviant nature of Rhodes' universe is partially obscured by his paintings' exuberant colors and his balanced sense of composition. Executed on richly painted wood panel backgrounds, Rhodes constructs these elaborate tableaux from individual, cut-out painted and drawn images that stylistically recall animation and outsider art aesthetics.

The unusual picture surfaces that result from the numerous collaged elements both distract the viewer from the unnerving and explicit imagery within, and serve as an entry-point to the complex and dangerous scenes. These include heads decapitated from their bodies, figures getting shot or shooting themselves, feet and hands with stigmata, burning trains, and other disturbing – perhaps apocalyptic – visions. Rhodes' references to religion, racism, sex and violence embody narrative themes to portray his dark, imagined, but often too familiar worlds

G. Bradley Rhodes was born in Waynesboro, Virginia. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn. He received his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Painting in 2006, and his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Larissa Goldston Gallery is located at 530 W 25th Street, 3rd floor. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am – 6pm. For more information, please contact the gallery at 212-206-7887 or visit www.larissagoldston.com.