Exhibitions:
In life we are surrounded by excess and over-stimulation, subject to the overwhelming flooding of our senses. This is the present condition that we are required to navigate, one which results in a loss of sharpness of sensory experience. It is Justin’s opinion we may have become a product of this heavily designed environment as it contributes to and constructs our belief systems and identities. Justin Fry’s work mixes key elements of these visual languages that reflect his culture and that are used as beacons within the visual white noise that has surrounded him in his life. These elements can combine to create fractured hybrid characters that demonstrate the possibility that we are all now fractured individuals taking on parts of our designed environments. Researching memories has begun to show Justin clues to what effect these cultural surroundings have had on him, both positive and negative. Viewing anything from old cartoons, comics, film, magazines and art catalogs, Justin hunts for bits of information that he is emotionally attracted to and moves to organize them to be used as a foundation to build a painting upon. These images can be very strong symbols that may hold significant meaning, or they may be attractive to simply because they have been seen many times in life, causing them to have been burned into his subconscious. After collecting, Justin begins to hunt for new uses for this familiar subject matter and begin stretching and distorting the images, using their recognizable features as a place of departure for his creative process. Justin’s paintings are a record of this process.