Andy Kehoe and Matt Haber
Trouble, Pass Me By

Project Room
Two person exhibit

Opening reception - Saturday, May 12th, 7pm-9pm

May 12, 2007 through June 9, 2007

NEW YORK, NY (April 16, 2007) – Jonathan LeVine Gallery is proud to announce, Trouble, Pass Me By, a two-person exhibit of new pieces by Matt Haber and Andy Kehoe. This show will be the first opportunity for both emerging artists to exhibit a larger repertoire. It is Matt Haber’s largest show to date and Kehoe’s first show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery. Both artists explore themes of moral conflict through character-based work. The exhibition will be on view from May 12th through June 9, 2007. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 12th from 7pm to 9pm.

For Trouble, Pass Me By, Matt Haber expands his universe of whimsical characters to include gods at war with mortals in an exploration of the human experience. He utilizes his interest in storytelling and metaphor to express an interminable cycle of human greed, revenge, and malice. Theatrical settings inhabited by characters including circus strongmen, dinosaurs, sea life and sorcerers are juxtaposed with violent imagery. Mortals ultimately prevail, decapitating the heads of immortals, a metaphor for destroying supreme indulgence. Haber’s continuous narratives weave and overlap, symbolic of a child’s perspective and moments of acute psychological and emotional awareness.  To heighten this allegorical state, Haber flattens and simplifies his composition, utilizing a technique reminiscent of folk art and hand painted Greek and Roman vessels.

Andy Kehoe provokes ambiguity in his paintings and explores an interaction between figures and their natural surroundings, as well as the contrast between natural beauty and human ugliness. To escape personal anxiety, Kehoe paints isolated and seemingly peaceful scenes complete with monochromatic pastoral environments. However, undertones of unease and conflict permeate his work. Animals and human figures symbolize power, anxiety, truth, and fear. The characters play out Kehoe’s emotions and his observations. Recurring characters in Kehoe’s work includes the two-headed crow, or "King Crow" who is the ruler of the land and his sons, the politicians who fight over power. Kehoe’s lion character is a fighter for truth, creating a balance of power, defeating the crooked and corrupt. Other new characters in his work include tax collectors and a figure Kehoe uses to embody himself. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Andy Kehoe currently lives and works out of Pittsburgh. He has shown in a number of group shows around the country, most recently in 2006, including Power in Numbers at Nucleus Gallery and Under the Table at Black Maria, both in Los Angeles, and Grand Union in Brooklyn NY’s Front Room. Kehoe’s illustration work includes such clients as The New York Times, The Progressive, Metropolis, and The Stranger.

Matt Haber is a San Diego native who lives and works in Los Angeles and New York. He studied at RISD and worked with Walt Disney Animation and Fox Animation as a storyboard artist and assistant animator, all which have all helped to shape his insight into storytelling and colorful style. Haber develops a narrative tradition developed in cartoons and comic books to create character-driven works that reflect a range of emotion. The sweetness and innocence of his characters belies the mature, adult scenarios that they encounter. Haber has shown in numerous galleries across the country including his 2005 solo show, Hand holders, hold on, at Black Market Gallery in Los Angeles and several group shows including 2005’s Sometimes I Just Want a Hug and Fork in the Road at Jonathan LeVine Gallery, and I Know What Girls Want, I Know What Boys Like at Gallery 1988, Los Angeles. Haber has been published in Juxtapoz Magazine and Flavorpill.