PR was introduced to the work of artist Vincent Como a few years ago during the Greenpoint Open Studios and was immediately struck by his unwavering commitment to the possibilities of Black in it’s many forms and applications. Como’s studio is a Black Laboratory in the truest sense of the word, where he develops his research through an art historical lens coupled with an interest in Alchemy, Heavy Metal, Religion, Mythology, and Physics. Como recently relocated to a much larger space and we arrived to take in the latest work with the gentle sounds of Black One by Sunn 0))) humming in the background.
Descent, 2011
toner and acrylic medium on paper, 69” x 93” overall
An arrangement of 10 individual units at 9 5/8” x 10 1/4” each.
Edition of 3
The Blackening, 2008
wood, paint, hardware, 180" x 136" x 116"
Site Specific Installation at Secret Project Robot, Brooklyn, NY
4.5 Cubic Inches (Volume of the Inside of My Head), 2007
cast sumi ink, 4.5” x 4.5” x 4.5”
Using Ad Reinhardt's end game for painting as his starting point, Como's art practice explores the great void through drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation that includes, yet expands upon the conventions of Minimalism and Color Theory.
The materials used in the creation of his artwork are carefully considered in how they have been used historically and the power the art object contains, or draws from the viewer. One of the projects he had in the cooker during our visit were 23 works on paper, based on ancient curse tablets, the carbon lead used in their creation acting as an obscuring element and amplifier of the inscribed hexes, exploring how the overarching concept of 'belief' affects individuals.
Conception
Preparation
Execution
Composition to Threaten Your Existence (detail), 2011acrylic on canvas over board, beaten into wall
5 elements, 6” x 6” each
Through his singular approach within these limits, Como wades into the dark currents that connect the existential realm of Black Metal, the sinister nature of Darth Vader, and the alchemical term Nigredo, aka ‘blacker than the blackest black’. By immersing himself in these subjects while peeling away the excess matter, Como expands this seach for self-knowledge into everything from his wardrobe to his writings as the spiritual leader of the Order of the Black Mark.
Untitled (Trans-Dimensional Vehicle), 2010
pine coffin, perylene green-black pigment, furniture wax
78” x 25” x 16”
"I Made My Own Brice Marden", September 12, 2004
signed by Vincent Como & Brice Marden
The Black Laboratory
The artist in his studio
Black Metal, 2007
creased paper, 15.5” x 20”
In addition to past exhibitions at The Pigeon Wing in London and Proof Gallery in Boston, Como is currently showing in Ritual Aesthetics, curated by Progress Report at Tompkins Projects in Brooklyn and will be included in Black Thorns in the White Cube, curated by Amelia Ishmael at Paragraph Gallery in Kansas City and Western Exhibitions in Chicago. He also has a 1x12 drawing subscription that is entering it's second year and was a key speaker at The Black Metal Theory Symposium in Dublin at the close of 2011.
- Vince Contarino, 01.11.12