James Rizzi

James Rizzi was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. and educated at the University of Florida. His 3-D constructions have been exhibited throughout the United States and Japan. He has, in addition, designed record album covers, stage sets and animated videos and is the subject of both a TV film released in 1987 in Japan and a major book published in the United States in 1988. His exhibit at the Gallery of Frame Designs will be his first Indianapolis solo appearance.

The 3-D constructions of James Rizzi are a delight to anyone’s eyes, but their seeming simplicity is deceptive. Each work is drawn with minute detail, then cut out and mounted on a background with equally meticulous execution. The result is a richly textured graphic, whose three dimensions are suggestive of the multi-dimension reality to be found in his work.

Rizzi’s subjects are the places and people of everyday urban life, but seen through the prism of his wild and antic imagination. Sometimes called an "Urban Primitive," he is also a surrealist in the tradition of Miro and Klee. Detailed as a Bosch fantasy, his images bubble with the effervescent humor of an unrepressed primitive.

To quote Gracie Mansion from the book, James Rizzi, "The strength of Rizzi’s work is that it represents a pure and sincere vision of the city as he sees it. Through his eyes, the city again becomes alive and even the most jaded among us remember what it is about the city we love."

The Brooklyn Museum "debut" show (New York)

Martin Sumbers Graphics (New York)

Intercontinental Art (Tokyo)

McNay Art Institute (San Antonio)

Just Impressions (Toronto)

Galerie Schnake (Munster, West Germany)

Syd Entel Gallery (Safety Harbor, Florida)

D. Genaro Gallery (Santa Monica)

John Szoke Gallery (New York)

The Fine Arts Museum of Long Island (New York)

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