
New York-based painter Phil Frost (b. 1973) has evolved a consistent, instantly recognizable aesthetic synonymous with his name, which he refers to as “intuitive perceptive portraiture.” This first exhibition of new work at our space testifies to his relevance and extensive cultural reach as a leading contemporary artist who is self taught.
Frost’s title for the exhibition, with its multiple meanings, alludes to a gestural build up of glyphic information. A counting, chanting, pulsing persistence of rhythm decoding an inner perception of interactive epiphany.
Frost’s visual language melds layers of flat white culturally indeterminate mask-like forms with bold typographical and fluid glyphic geometric and sinuous shapes that dance above vivid spectrums of painterly color, forming the long necked busts and repetitions of faces that are pronounced as his intuitive portraiture.
Raised in rural Western Massachusetts from a young age; he grew up searching for and sometimes finding Indian adzes and arrowheads in farm fields and forests; and made use of a natural fountain found at the edge of the woods that spouted clay by sitting at its rim and forming shapes in his hands. The unearthed treasures were impressed upon his mind and this archaeological drive influenced him and would continue and later reveal itself when he began making work imbued with collected and found objects as a way to present the actual passage of his life gesturally into the context of a painted visual passage; a representation to articulate how the now inflects a lineage of experience in time and space that is formed both physically and intuitively from what is around him.
As his adolescence matured he moved, along with his younger sister and mother, by whom he was solely raised, to Cooperstown, NY for just over two years where an early fascination with baseball and in particular the position of pitching and the arabesque-like gesture made by a swinging bat was deepened. Often taking off on excursions to New York City to skateboard with friends, he was led to an awareness and depth of interest in graffiti and anonymous mark - making.
Early work with typography found him knocking out the negative space created by letterforms with white as a way to pop or form random patterns of shape to react against color. The fluid and sinuous patterns of white shapes that most often recently dominate his work came from a progressive evolution of the reduction of words that once, more often formed a nonsensical lingual chanting woven throughout the layering in his portraiture.
Entrance to Perception Gate
(One Bust in Dimensional Transience), 2002 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper, various found materials on found wooden door and wooden panels
249 x 110 x 16 cm / 98 x 43.31 x 6.3 in
Accumulative Field of Perceptive Experience, 2002 - 2014
Acrylic, spray enamel, correction fluid, paper, found materials,
various glass bottles and jars, on two canvas wrapped wooden panels
244 x 244 x 26 cm / 96 x 96 x 10.24 in
Collapse of Fleeting Experience
Synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper,
boxing gloves, baseball bat, wooden box, bobbin, tin,
and various found materials on found mattress
193 x 96 x 35 cm / 76 x 38 x 13.78 in
Bust of Hammer Head, 2004 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid,
ink, paper, three baseball bats, one axe handle, hammer,
barrel, various found materials on wooden panel
160 x 104 x 38 cm / 63 x 41 x 15 in
Untitled, 2007 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid,
ink, paper, shovels on wooden panels
161 x 122 x 23 cm / 63.39 x 48 x 9 in
Two Busts of Liminal Experience, 2007 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, paper, attached
wooden ladder, wooden boxes on canvas wrapped wooden panel
168,5 x 122 x 20,5 cm / 66.34 x 48 x 8 in
Bust of Perceptive Wisdom, 2007 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper,
baseball bats, various found materials on canvas wrapped wooden panel
210 x 95 x 38 cm / 82.68 x 37.4 x 15 in
Consequential Passage of Accumulative Experience, 2002 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, nails,
various gathered and applied detritus, pastel, paper
on four paneled sequence of canvas wrapped wooden panels
244 x 488 x 6 cm / 96 x 192 x 2.39 in
Flurry of Anchored Steam, 2007
Spray enamel, emulsion, correction fluid,
ink, paper on canvas and wooden panel
148,5 x 124,5 x 18,5 cm / 58.46 x 49 x 7.28 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, emulsion, correction fluid, ink, paper on canvas
112,5 x 82,5 x 13,5 cm / 44.29 x 32.5 x 5.31 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, emulsion, correction fluid, ink, paper on canvas
123 x 98 x 11 cm / 48.43 x 38.58 x 4.33 in
Untitled
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel,
correction fluid, ink and paper on canvas
170,5 x 100,5 x 21 cm / 67.13 x 39.57 x 8.27 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper on suitcase
46 x 45,5 x 21,5 cm / 18 x 18 x 8.5 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, emulsion, correction fluid, ink, paper on missiles
106,5 x 20,5 x 20,5 cm / 42 x 8 x 8 in
120 x 19,5 x 19,5 cm / 47.24 x 7.68 x 7.68 in
Tablet of Intuitive Maths
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid,
ink, paper, various found materials on on wood
139 x 46 x 15,5 cm / 54.72 x 18 x 6 in
Untitled, 2008
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid,
baseball bat, ink, paper on canvas
101 x 76 x 4 cm / 39.76 x 30 x 1.57 in
Untitled
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid,
paper and cloth on canvas
76 x 51 x 3,5 cm / 30 x 20 x 1.38 in
Head of Intuitive Force, 2004 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, paper on canvas
76 x 76,5 x 8 cm / 30 x 30 x 3 in
Bust of Intuitive Force, 2007 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, water based emulsion, spray enamel,
correction fluid, paper, attached broom on canvas
127 x 76,5 x 3,5 cm / 50 x 30 x 1.38 in
Dual Busts of Intuitive Force, 2001 - 2014
Ink, emulsion, synthetic polymer, spray enamel,
correction fluid, paper on canvas
122 x 91,5 x 4 cm / 48 x 36 x 1.5 in
Bust of Perceptive Importance, 2014
Synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink
on canvas wrapped on wooden panel with attached
spray enamel and correction fluid on wooden baseball bat
122 x 61 x 6 cm / 48 x 24 x 2.28 in
Two Busts of Integral Impression, 2010 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel,
correction fluid, paper on canvas
122 x 91 x 4 cm / 48 x 35.83 x 1.46 in
Untitled, 2008
Acrylic, household emulsion, spray enamel,
correction fluid, baseball bats, ink, paper on canvas
91,5 x 61 x 5 cm / 36 x 24 x 2 in
Untitled, 2008 - 2009
Synthetic polymer, correction fluid, ink, spray enamel, paper on canvas
60 x 61 x 4 cm / 23.62 x 24 x 1.57 in
Head of Liminal Persistence, 2006 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, correction fluid, spray enamel,
paper on canvas wrapped wooden panel
30,5 x 30,5 x 6 cm / 12 x 12 x 2.36 in
Untitled, 2006 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, ink, spray enamel, correction fluid,
paper on canvas wrapped wooden panel
30,5 x 30,5 x 6 cm / 12 x 12 x 2.36 in
Untitled, 2005 - 2007 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid,
paper, attached painted wooden baseball bat
on canvas wrapped wooden panel
85,5 x 58,5 x 5,5 cm / 33.66 x 23 x 2.17 in
Alapsor, 2006
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid,
paper, wooden stick on canvas wrapped wooden panel
145,5 x 46 x 5 cm / 57.28 x 18.11 x 2 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper on skateboard helmet
23 x 25,5 x 15 cm / 9 x 10 x 6 in
Untitled, 2010 - 2014
Spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper on toy truck
25,5 x 48, x 20,5 cm / 10 x 19 x 8 in
Entrance to Perception Gate
(One Bust in Dimensional Transience), 2002 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper, various found materials on found wooden door and wooden panels
249 x 110 x 16 cm / 98 x 43.31 x 6.3 in
Accumulative Field of Perceptive Experience, 2002 - 2014
Acrylic, spray enamel, correction fluid, paper, found materials,
various glass bottles and jars, on two canvas wrapped wooden panels
244 x 244 x 26 cm / 96 x 96 x 10.24 in
Collapse of Fleeting Experience
Synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper,
boxing gloves, baseball bat, wooden box, bobbin, tin,
and various found materials on found mattress
193 x 96 x 35 cm / 76 x 38 x 13.78 in
Bust of Hammer Head, 2004 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid,
ink, paper, three baseball bats, one axe handle, hammer,
barrel, various found materials on wooden panel
160 x 104 x 38 cm / 63 x 41 x 15 in
Untitled, 2007 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid,
ink, paper, shovels on wooden panels
161 x 122 x 23 cm / 63.39 x 48 x 9 in
Two Busts of Liminal Experience, 2007 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, paper, attached
wooden ladder, wooden boxes on canvas wrapped wooden panel
168,5 x 122 x 20,5 cm / 66.34 x 48 x 8 in
Bust of Perceptive Wisdom, 2007 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper,
baseball bats, various found materials on canvas wrapped wooden panel
210 x 95 x 38 cm / 82.68 x 37.4 x 15 in
Consequential Passage of Accumulative Experience, 2002 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, nails,
various gathered and applied detritus, pastel, paper
on four paneled sequence of canvas wrapped wooden panels
244 x 488 x 6 cm / 96 x 192 x 2.39 in
Flurry of Anchored Steam, 2007
Spray enamel, emulsion, correction fluid,
ink, paper on canvas and wooden panel
148,5 x 124,5 x 18,5 cm / 58.46 x 49 x 7.28 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, emulsion, correction fluid, ink, paper on canvas
112,5 x 82,5 x 13,5 cm / 44.29 x 32.5 x 5.31 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, emulsion, correction fluid, ink, paper on canvas
123 x 98 x 11 cm / 48.43 x 38.58 x 4.33 in
Untitled
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel,
correction fluid, ink and paper on canvas
170,5 x 100,5 x 21 cm / 67.13 x 39.57 x 8.27 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper on suitcase
46 x 45,5 x 21,5 cm / 18 x 18 x 8.5 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, emulsion, correction fluid, ink, paper on missiles
106,5 x 20,5 x 20,5 cm / 42 x 8 x 8 in
120 x 19,5 x 19,5 cm / 47.24 x 7.68 x 7.68 in
Tablet of Intuitive Maths
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid,
ink, paper, various found materials on on wood
139 x 46 x 15,5 cm / 54.72 x 18 x 6 in
Untitled, 2008
Synthetic polymer, emulsion, spray enamel, correction fluid,
baseball bat, ink, paper on canvas
101 x 76 x 4 cm / 39.76 x 30 x 1.57 in
Untitled
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid,
paper and cloth on canvas
76 x 51 x 3,5 cm / 30 x 20 x 1.38 in
Head of Intuitive Force, 2004 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, paper on canvas
76 x 76,5 x 8 cm / 30 x 30 x 3 in
Bust of Intuitive Force, 2007 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, water based emulsion, spray enamel,
correction fluid, paper, attached broom on canvas
127 x 76,5 x 3,5 cm / 50 x 30 x 1.38 in
Dual Busts of Intuitive Force, 2001 - 2014
Ink, emulsion, synthetic polymer, spray enamel,
correction fluid, paper on canvas
122 x 91,5 x 4 cm / 48 x 36 x 1.5 in
Bust of Perceptive Importance, 2014
Synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid, ink
on canvas wrapped on wooden panel with attached
spray enamel and correction fluid on wooden baseball bat
122 x 61 x 6 cm / 48 x 24 x 2.28 in
Two Busts of Integral Impression, 2010 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel,
correction fluid, paper on canvas
122 x 91 x 4 cm / 48 x 35.83 x 1.46 in
Untitled, 2008
Acrylic, household emulsion, spray enamel,
correction fluid, baseball bats, ink, paper on canvas
91,5 x 61 x 5 cm / 36 x 24 x 2 in
Untitled, 2008 - 2009
Synthetic polymer, correction fluid, ink, spray enamel, paper on canvas
60 x 61 x 4 cm / 23.62 x 24 x 1.57 in
Head of Liminal Persistence, 2006 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, correction fluid, spray enamel,
paper on canvas wrapped wooden panel
30,5 x 30,5 x 6 cm / 12 x 12 x 2.36 in
Untitled, 2006 - 2014
Synthetic polymer, ink, spray enamel, correction fluid,
paper on canvas wrapped wooden panel
30,5 x 30,5 x 6 cm / 12 x 12 x 2.36 in
Untitled, 2005 - 2007 - 2014
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid,
paper, attached painted wooden baseball bat
on canvas wrapped wooden panel
85,5 x 58,5 x 5,5 cm / 33.66 x 23 x 2.17 in
Alapsor, 2006
Ink, synthetic polymer, spray enamel, correction fluid,
paper, wooden stick on canvas wrapped wooden panel
145,5 x 46 x 5 cm / 57.28 x 18.11 x 2 in
Untitled
Spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper on skateboard helmet
23 x 25,5 x 15 cm / 9 x 10 x 6 in
Untitled, 2010 - 2014
Spray enamel, correction fluid, ink, paper on toy truck
25,5 x 48, x 20,5 cm / 10 x 19 x 8 in