Sylvan Lionni

Born 1973 in Cuckfield, England

 


Appropriating the forms of industrial articles and stripping them of their utilitarian purpose is a strategy Lionni has been employing for years – faded American flag stickers, lotto tickets and computer keypads – Lionni translates these sources into his own lineage of dead-pan picture making.

 

His expertly crafted hard-edged works display a labor-intensive painting process. They retain a deceptive but devout allegiance to the handmade despite their machine-like effects, rendered with alternative materials and non-traditional painting methods. Sylvan Lionni received his MFA from Bard College, NY and BA from SVA, NY. Born in Cuckfield, England, he currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.



Sylvan Lionni, "Sun Ra", Acrylic on aluminum, 35 1/2 x 40 x 24 in, 2008.