In this new body of work McAllister has increased the scale of his paintings, delving further into the relationship between color, pattern, and the sublime. His canvases depict interior spaces and scenes from the outdoors, often incorporating both within the same frame like overlapping photographs. McAllister’s interiors and their windows to the exterior are spaces for contemplation. They possess a familiarity derived from references to Modernist color-infused painting, and yet their interpretation of nature is timeless, a counterpoint to events that go on with or without us. As suggested by the title, tides must exalt, these works reflect on change and impermanence, yet they provide a site of stability from which the viewer is encouraged to luxuriate in their experience of the medium.
John McAllister is a 2007 MFA graduate from the Art Center College of Design and a 2007 Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA grant recipient. Solo exhibitions include Shane Campbell, Chicago (2012), Carl Freedman, London (2012), Richard Telles, Los Angeles (2012), James Fuentes, New York (2011), and Ribordy Contemporary, Geneva, Switzerland (2011). Group exhibitions include L’ALMANACH 14 at Le Consortium, Dijon, France (2014) and American Exuberance at The Rubell Family Collection, Miami, Florida (2011). McAllister’s work is included in the collections of the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles and The Rubell Family Collection, Miami. Upcoming solo exhibitions include Carl Freedman, London and Hagiwara Projects, Tokyo, Japan.
