John harlan norris
small works

a virtual reception will be held via our facebook and instagram pages on december 2nd. Follow us at BRGallery for updates and images!

the in-person FIRST WEDNESDAY OPENING RECEPTION & artICULATE aRTIST tALK have been cancelled for this exhibition due to risks associated with the covid-19 pandemic. the gallery will be open during regular business hours (Tu - Su, 12pm - 6pm) for individuals or groups under 25 people. social distancing and masks are required.

John Norris’ most recent works draw inspiration from the moments we all experience in which the roles we play in our daily lives come to define us in powerful ways. In the pursuit of prosperity, leisure, social status, and personal meaning, we often assume identities that both define and fail to define us. His work explores the possibilities and limitations of our daily occupations at a time in which we frequently change jobs, balance multiple roles, and cannot easily delineate between private and public life.

“I am engaged in an ongoing project that reinterprets the genre of portrait painting in order to speak about ideas of personhood in our current moment. By stretching the parameters of the genre and magnifying certain elements beyond their typical roles, I make portraits that investigate our rapidly changing sense of ourselves as forces such as technology, media, capitalism, and globalization present new challenges and possibilities.” - Norris

Norris is a painter and musician originally from Kentucky. Since graduating, Norris has taught drawing and design at Louisiana State University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Southern University. His work has been shown in Chicago and Houston as well as throughout Louisiana and Kentucky.

Currently, Norris is an Assistant Professor at University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts.

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from Brian Kelly, & Kathleen Lemoine. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during normal gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) from February 2nd - 25th.