POSTMODERN BLUES | Artist John Bell mounts first solo show in Utah in three years.

Nox Contemporary is pleased to present a new exhibition by John Bell entitled, Postmodern Blues. This is Bell's first solo show in Utah since 2009 after exhibiting out of the state with multiple shows in Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

During the opening Bell will be signing copies of a self-published chapbook, Fresh Oil!, in which the artist has a humorous and revealing conversation with himself. The exhibition runs through May 4th.

The exhibition is comprised of several new and revisited pieces shown for the first time inUtah including paintings, installation, mixed media and a photographical display, Portraits without Faces, where the subject's primary source of expression, their face is removed and replaced with a mask. At the core of the exhibition are Bell's paintings, wrought with recurring images of celebrities, modern art masters, monkeys and iconic cartoon characters, many of which are appropriated from what Bell likes to call "Google collaborations." The late actor Dennis Hopper and his many acting personas appear in one large canvas, google search; menace, june 5, 2010 (see photo). The piece inspired by the word menace typed into Google, Bell choose images from the top 10 results and used them in the painting. Working in this manner Bell says, "Provides an interesting glimpse into media influence through technology, why are certain key words attached to an image and the ephemeral nature of pop culture appetites. The exhibition's title implies the artist's search for meaning in an increasingly dystopian cultural climate through process, influences and the daily annihilation an artist experiences, searching for meaning in his work through that culture.

About John Bell

John Bell is a nationally emerging artist who describes his work as postmodern mash up. He combines abstract expressionism, geometric abstraction, pop art and other movements in contemporary art. Primarily a painter Bell is a multi-disciplinary artist incorporating print making, photography, sculpture, text, installation and performance art. His work depicts wide ranging themes from social to political, popular culture, media and the public domain to comment on -- and understand the complexities of contemporary American culture.

Ohio-born Bell lives and works in Salt Lake City, Utah. Upcoming solo museum exhibitions include Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and BYU Museum of Art (2013). He has exhibited in countless solo and group exhibitions, including Art Basel, Miami, New York's Time Warner Center, Southern Nevada Museum of Art, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City, UT. His work has been placed in many private collections throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has received numerous acknowledgments and reviews in NY Art World, Blackbook, City Weekly, Utah Style & Design, Blue Canvas, Seven and 944 magazines as well as a host of online publications. He is represented by Mondo Fine Art, Salt Lake City, Brett Wesley Contemporary, Las Vegas, Cancio Contemporary, Miami/New York.

ut Nox Contemporary
Nox Contemporary is a Salt Lake City-based contemporary art gallery that seeks to exhibit all forms of contemporary art, without regard to commercial viability. The gallery's focus is to exhibit high quality, challenging work from emerging local and national artists. Nox Contemporary is directed by John Sproul, a nationally recognized visual artist and founder of the Utah Foster Art Program. Nox Contemporary is open Wednesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m., during the Downtown Gallery Stroll and by appointment.