Greg Burak “Visitations”

Fortnight Institute

poster for Greg Burak “Visitations”
[Image: Greg Burak "Greetings" (2018) Oil on linen 40 x 45 in.]

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Fortnight Institute presents Visitations, Greg Burak’s first solo exhibition in New York.

Looking at Greg Burak’s paintings makes the act of seeing feel secretive or forbidden. The paintings invite the viewer to peer into these private scenes, evoking a feeling of transgression. A door has been left ajar, a window open, a cover lifted for the curious to enter and acquire hidden knowledge. The interiors are familiar and comfortable, set up with books, paintings, plants, furniture and a cat, in one case. The figures in Burak’s work are mysterious, facing away mostly, as they are completely engaged in their environment. In Visitations, Burak’s paintings pulsate with tension, presenting scenes that are both unsettling and intriguing, culling elements from both the mundane and esoteric. The dichotomy between the ordinary and the peculiar leaves the viewer with a myriad of questions. In Burak’s painting, Vision, the center figure’s hand is a mossy green echoing the color patterns of the square apparition floating above a mysterious portal that leads to somewhere/nowhere. Why is the hand green? What is this appearance of a green diaphanous square? The figure in the yellow shirt holds a thin wooden stick or wand? The window behind them: is it a window or an illusion?

I was once the steward of a book of magical spells. It sat in a conspicuous place on my shelf, catching my sidelong glance. One night a friend suggested that we perform one of them. While the possibility of conjuring something into being was tantalizing, I was simultaneously terrified at what these spells could awaken. I hastily declined – much to my own chagrin and the amusement of my friend.

I realized then I wasn’t prepared for the possibility of this actually working. I thought I was looking for confirmation of something otherworldly, but how could I move forward knowing that there were uncanny forces at play? Something just beyond the edge of human perception?
Would I have to rethink the Catholic system I had abandoned? Some biblical force might not have been pleased with my infernal dabbling. It seemed that everything was on the table, and the possibilities overwhelmed me. It was a conundrum that I decided to avoid; I settled on agnosticism and moved on.

Although my direct interaction with the supernatural was put on hold, I can’t help but wonder what may have happened. These paintings are about the possibilities of a foray into the paranormal. I’m interested in capturing the faltering moment at the threshold between the everyday and the supernatural. Although some of these player’s attempts may be half-hearted or unpolished, it’s hard to say what might reach across the void. - Greg Burak

Greg Burak was born in 1986 in Haverstraw, NY. He received a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA from Indiana University. His work has been included in exhibitions at Gitler & _____, Trestle Gallery, and First Street Gallery. He currently lives and works in Queens, New York.

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Schedule

from September 13, 2018 to October 14, 2018

Artist(s)

Greg Burak

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