JONATHAN SELIGER
Jonathan Seliger demonstrates a deep respect for everyday objects, carefully and faithfully embodying the core values and techniques of Pop Art. His meticulous craftsmanship evokes the finish fetish movement(*) that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in the 1960s, while also reflecting a postmodern interest in simulacra.
After graduation of college Seliger started his artistic career with an art critique and a freelance curator. In the late 80’s he supported a particular artist at a gallery in New York.
Then he started to reconstruct every day objects to turn into a conceptual artist. His productions are intelligible and iconic, reflected by the essence of pop art in celebrity brand shopping bags, Chinese takeout containers, light bulbs, and milk cartoons.
(*)The finish fetish movement—often referred to in Japanese as “shiage-fetish” —is characterized by an obsessive attention to extremely smooth and glossy surfaces. Artists associated with this movement used industrial materials such as acrylic, synthetic resin, and fiberglass to create works with sleek, polished finishes that blur the line between fine art and manufactured objects.
WORKS
BIOGRAPHY
1955 Born in Brooklyn, NY 1978 B.A., State University of New York at Binghamton
PAST EXHIBITIONS
1996 Solo Exhibition at Studio La Citta in Verona, Italy
1999 Solo exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery, USA
2000 Solo Exhibition at Studio La Citta and Jack Shainman Gallery, USA
2001 Solo Exhibition at Angles Gallery in Los Angeles, USA
2002 Solo Exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery, USA
2003 Solo Exhibition at McClain Gallery in Houston, USA
2004 Solo Exhibition at Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut (travelled to Tang Teaching Museum, Saratoga Springs, New York)
2005 Solo Exhibition at Galerie Sho Contemporary Art in Tokyo, Japan
2005 Solo Exhibition at Barbara Krakow Gallery in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
2006 Solo Exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery, USA
2010 Solo Exhibition at Angles Gallery and Jack Shainman Gallery, USA
2012 Solo Exhibition at Galerie Sho Contemporary Art in Tokyo, Japan
2017 Solo Exhibition at McClain Gallery in Houston, USA
2020 Group Show at Art TNZ at Sho+1 booth in Tokyo, Japan
2021 Group Show at Art Fair Tokyo 2021 at Sho+1 booth in Tokyo, Japan
2022 Group Show at Art Fair Tokyo 2022 at Sho+1 booth in Tokyo, Japan
2022 Group Show "Illusion of Reality" at FOAM COMTEMPORARY in Tokyo, Japan
2025 Two-person exhibition by Kenji Misawa and Jonathan Seliger "Material and Substance" at Sho+1 in Tokyo, Japan
