EMANATA

COOPER COLE is pleased to present EMANATA, a solo exhibition by Shawn Kuruneru. This will be the artist’s second solo exhibition at the gallery.

Drawing is at the centre of Kuruneru‘s art practice. Exploring both the graphic and conceptual potentials of the medium, the works in this exhibition engage with Western geometric abstraction, Eastern landscape painting, and the artist’s own interest in comic books. Emanata is a cartooning term that describes the use of lines, squiggles, or symbols around a character to indicate emotional states. This visual practice also dates back to the 11th century when Chinese landscape painters rendered organic shapes in ink to express philosophical ideas and emotive stories.

Drawing on these practices, Kuruneru is interested in the narrative potentials of the mark based on context. This exhibition presents his abstract paintings alongside comic pages from his graphic novel Fool’s Wish. Kuruneru’s surreal landscape drawings next to his large, bold paintings emphasizes shared mark-making techniques and gestures. For the artist, the lines and dots in a comic drawing can achieve the demands of narrative, while lines and dots in a painting provide a sense of release and freedom. In his work the autonomous mark, similar to one’s identity, fluctuates over time within different contexts, cultures and histories.

Shawn Kuruneru (Canadian, b.1984) received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec.  Recent solo exhibitions include Shawn Kuruneru, KOKI ARTS, Tokyo, Japan (2019); Compact Chaos, Ribordy Contemporary, Geneva, Switzerland (2017); Pablo’s Birthday Gallery, New York, NY (2017); Brand New Gallery, Milan, Italy (2015); Rotator, Cooper Cole Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (2015); Landscapes, David Petersen Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2014). Select group exhibitions include Condo NY, Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York, NY (2018); Nice Weather, curated by David Salle, Skarstedt Gallery, New York, NY (2016); Face To Face, curated by Eugenio Viola, Palazzo Fruscione, Salerno, Italy (2016); 2159 Miles, curated by Brand New Gallery, Milan, Museo Britanico Americano, Mexico City, Mexico (2015) CK One Daily, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, California (2014); Day job, curated by Nina Katchadourian, The Drawing Center, New York, NY (2010).

His self published graphic novels are BURN MAN and Fool’s Wish. His work is in the permanent collection at The Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY; The Whitney Museum of American Art, Special Collections of the Frances, Mulhall Achilles Library in New York, NY; The National Gallery of Canada Library Collection, Ottawa, Canada; and CELINE, Paris, France.

Artworks

Shawn Kuruneru

Fool’s Wish issue 4 page 16

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Shawn Kuruneru – Fool’s Wish issue 4 page 16, 2019

Ink and pencil on paper

19.5" X 13.5"
49.53cm X 34.29cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Fool’s Wish issue 4 page 4

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Shawn Kuruneru – Fool’s Wish issue 4 page 4, 2019

Ink and pencil on paper

Edition of 3, 2 AP

19.5" X 13.5"
49.53cm X 34.29cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Fool’s Wish issue 2 page 12

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Shawn Kuruneru – Fool’s Wish issue 2 page 12, 2019

Ink and pencil on paper

19.5" X 13.5"
49.53cm X 34.29cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Fool’s Wish issue 2 page 11

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Shawn Kuruneru – Fool’s Wish issue 2 page 11, 2019

Ink and pencil on paper

19.5" X 13.5"
49.53cm X 34.29cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Fool’s Wish issue 2 page 4

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Shawn Kuruneru – Fool’s Wish issue 2 page 4, 2019

Ink and pencil on paper

19.5" X 13.5"
49.53cm X 34.29cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Fool’s Wish issue 2 page 3

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Shawn Kuruneru – Fool’s Wish issue 2 page 3, 2019

Ink and pencil on paper

19.5" X 13.5"
49.53cm X 34.29cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Sky

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Shawn Kuruneru – Sky, 2017

Acrylic and ink on canvas

24" X 20"
60.96cm X 50.8cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Astro 1

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Shawn Kuruneru – Astro 1, 2019

Acrylic and clear gesso on canvas

14" X 11"
35.56cm X 27.94cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Nature

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Shawn Kuruneru – Nature, 2017

Acrylic and ink on canvas

24" X 20"
60.96cm X 50.8cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Akira

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Shawn Kuruneru – Akira, 2017

Acrylic and oil on canvas

72" X 48"
182.88cm X 121.92cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Emanata 2

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Shawn Kuruneru – Emanata 2, 2019

Acrylic and clear gesso on canvas

48" X 36"
121.92cm X 91.44cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Emanata 1

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Shawn Kuruneru – Emanata 1, 2019

Acrylic and clear gesso on canvas

48" X 36"
121.92cm X 91.44cm

Shawn Kuruneru

Descending

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Shawn Kuruneru – Descending, 2019

Acrylic and clear gesso on canvas

60" X 48.5"
152.4cm X 123.19cm

Shawn Kuruneru

(field)

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Shawn Kuruneru – (field), 2017

Acrylic on canvas

68" X 93"
172.72cm X 236.22cm