David Ellis Hudson River Alley
Hudson River Alley presents new paintings and mixed-media works by New York–based artist David Ellis. Marking the artist’s second solo exhibition with Joshua Liner Gallery, the show reflects Ellis’s recent relocation from Brooklyn to Woodstock, New York, and the resulting shift toward rural imagery, Americana, and material history. Drawing from personal memory and American cultural symbols, Ellis incorporates tobacco-stained paper, reclaimed signage, and graphic iconography—black bears, flags, and historical silhouettes—into vibrant enamel and acrylic compositions. The exhibition also features kinetic sound sculptures and works from Ellis’s Recollection series, combining movement, sound, and visual rhythm into immersive installations that expand the boundaries of painting.
David Ellis (b. 1971, Raleigh, NC) is a New York–based artist working across painting, sculpture, installation, sound, and video. He received his BFA from The Cooper Union and rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a founding member of the Barnstormers, a collective known for large-scale public art projects in rural American communities. Ellis’s work has been exhibited widely, including at MoMA PS1, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the San Diego Museum of Art, and the Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati. His kinetic sound installations are held in the collections of Charles Saatchi and Deutsche Bank, and his installation True Value (Paint Fukette) was acquired by the Margulies Collection and exhibited in Miami. Ellis continues to explore the intersections of Americana, sound, movement, and visual culture in his multidisciplinary practice.
Bear 1, 2013 Acrylic and ink on found traffic sign 47.5 x 47.5 in (120.7 x 120.7 cm)
Flow 1, 2013 Acrylic, ink, spray-enamel, tobacco stain on paper 22 x 30 in (55.9 x 76.2 cm)
One, 2013 Acrylic, ink, gesso, and spray enamel on tobacco stained paper on wood panel 64.5 x 88.5 in (163.8 x 224.8 cm)
Stars and Bars, 2013 Album covers, resin, wood 12.5 x 38 x 13 in (31.8 x 96.5 x 33 cm)
Z, 2013 Acrylic, ink, gesso, spray-enamel, and resin on wood panel 42 x 63 in (106.7 x 160 cm)
Forest Fireworks, 2013 Album covers, resin, wood 12.5 x 38 x 13 in (31.8 x 96.5 x 33 cm)