Brian Faucette

Brian Faucette April 6 - May 18

essay by Jacques Vidal

In the paintings and philosophy of Brian Faucette, what is most evident is his retractable hustle. His is an inexhaustible creative force in finding ways to evade history, seriousness, and permanence. I immediately think of this Tom and Jerry cartoon from when I was a kid: Tom is shooting at Jerry, and his gun never runs out of ammo, but Jerry is suddenly like a god, he stretches himself out and uses his new tall thin flexibility to dodge every bullet, eventually he (as always) emerges the victor. Brian happily embodies this dodgy derelict attitude both verbally and physically, in this I've always thought that he really takes one for the team (the team in this case is responsibility).



Faucette's newest paintings have taken on the black monolith of Modernism from a similar angle as before, but now he at once embraces geometric abstraction's self-aggrandizing science fiction myth making, and prophesizing while questioning its supposed timelessness or intellectual rigor. This new "Skynet" series makes use of Kool-Aid, Ketamine, Paints mixed with salt, and Plumber's grade plaster, materials chosen for the speed and aggression of there own decomposition. Brian wants to see the fruits of his labor bloom quickly. He offers us the opportunity to see a myth proposed and then corrupted, like so many trends and ethical positions. Proof if anything that for Brian (and maybe for all of us) you can have your cake and eat it too. Thank you Brian, you're a real trooper.