WATCH AND ABSORB #3
New Work By Frank Ackerley Curated by Texas artist Jeff F. Wheeler
In association with SPACE C7 in San Antonio, G Spot Contemporary Gallery is proud to present WATCH AND ABSORB #3, an exhibition of new work by the reclusive artist, Franklin Ackerley, curated by Texas artist, Jeff F. Wheeler. This Saturday, May 1st, Our last reception on 9th Street 6p.m. to 8p.m.
In association with SPACE C7 in San Antonio, G Spot Contemporary Gallery is proud to present WATCH AND ABSORB #3, an exhibition of new work by the reclusive artist, Franklin Ackerley, curated by Texas artist, Jeff F. Wheeler.
This Saturday, May 1st, Our last reception on 9th Street 6p.m. to 8p.m.
G Spot Gallery, in association with SPACE C7 in San Antonio, are proud to present WATCH AND ABSORB #3, an exhibition of new work by the reclusive artist, Franklin Ackerley. Known as much for his Pynchon-esque life as he is for his irreverent and over-the-top pop concoctions, Ackerley began his meteoric rise to relative obscurity in the early 90’s when he was in graduate school at Central Washington University. While still in school he developed a West Coast following with raucous exhibitions in various alt-spaces and Universities from Seattle to San Francisco. As his fame rose, heshied away from the spotlight focusing on travel and artmaking. Ackerley hasn’t been seen in public since 1997.
Since then, his whereabouts have been a matter of conjecture, with apocryphal accounts recently placing him in, among other places, Wichita, Kansas; Fallon, Nevada; Truth and Consequences, New Mexico; and even Split, Croatia. What Is known, is that every once in a long while, Ackerley sends a package of new work to his friend, Texas artist, Jeff F. Wheeler with instructions to find a location to exhibit the work. When the present exhibit arrived on the doorstep of Wheeler’s studio in February, he immediately reached out to Wayne Gilbert of G Spot who agreed to give Ackerley his first solo show in Houston. On view is a series of work Ackerley created during his Pandemic Lockdown on the Adriatic Coast near Split, Croatia.
This work is typical of his style. That is, the drawings portray a kind-of visual schizophrenia, with seemingly (at least) two distinct stylistic personalities clashing in these dynamic, pop-inflected compositions. Here we see varied influences from mod-fashion models to vacant Texas Landscapes, scattered with text that only complicates their meaning. His drawings are enigmatic, averse to revealing themselves, like the artist himself. In this way, they are timely and welcome against our rush to expose every detail to stultifying scrutiny.