ROBERT RUSSELL: Falling Teacups

"Robert Russell’s paintings are made from a time in history in which there are no verifiable images and much of the content we’re exposed to is disinformation. No matter how accurately rendered or copied his images are, there is no believing in visual truth, so perhaps we have to look for what he has faith in. Photo realism was criticized for its mundane and abject imagery. Now, we are drowning in abject imagery, and yet Russell is willing to mine these images."

- Andrea Bower in "Put Out the Good Stuff"

"In the Teacup oeuvre, Russell has moved from self-portraiture to reflections on kinship. The teacups are examples of family heirlooms. What Russell is focusing on is the deaccessioning of unwanted belongings inherited from family members... The motivations for selling the teacups are at the heart of this work. Grandma has died, and the family is encumbered by the worldly items she left behind. The task of getting rid of them is seen by Russell as a contemporary ritual."

- Andrea Bowers in "Put Out the Good Stuff"

"In Russell’s newest series, the teacups are now animated, a move from photo realism to surrealism. Like melting clocks, these images capture the moment just before the teacups are smashed. The photorealist process of literally recording is replaced by the psychological subjectivity of the artist. Russell is illustrating a deeply personal desire to shatter a generational practice of assimilation. He describes these falling teacup paintings as an 'alchemical process,' and continues, 'We are allowed to do magic in painting.' Russell has found a way to deal with painting as not only an aesthetic process but also as a critical practice. The alchemy of turning the images of assimilation into beauty is now becoming a tool of criticism. It is apropos that he fondly remembers Lari Pittman telling him to always use the good stuff—put out the good china."

- Andrea Bowers in "Put Out the Good Stuff"