April 26 - June 7, 2025
From Conduit Gallery:
“Juan Fontanive’s new works in Spinning Stone are comprised of shapes made of enamel on copper and
aluminum which are pieced together into a matrix of studied color combinations forming intriguing wall
installations. Fontanive likens his sculptures to the game of Tetris, in which shapes move up, down and around,
representing for him, decisions and situations in life where choices are made, and patterns are set.
The works in Spinning Stone are a part of a larger series of enamel on copper works that are based on drawings,
each separate shape or section is fired individually in a kiln. The sections are held together like puzzle pieces
evoking an array of thoughts, often intertwined with the systems or methodologies used in the drawing process.
Movement, and how light interacts with color in a composition are illustrated by the mechanics of the hand,
wrist, or stylus creating different 3-dimensional illuminated spaces. The translucency of the glass enamel surface
echoes the thematic ideas of illumination, bringing them into actual space. The idea of light found in the work is
then intertwined with the process, as well as the figurative and concrete parts of the final work.
Each section of this work is cut from copper sheet then fired in a kiln at 1450 degrees. The baked vitreous
enamel has a rich depth and translucency that catches the light. The sections then become jewel-like when seen
from different angles. Separate elements are held together with imagined gravity, while the alchemic nature of
the firing shows another natural process.
J. C. Fontanive was born and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and received his BA from Syracuse University, and an
MA from The Royal College of Art, London. His work has been shown at Museum of Contemporary Art
Detroit, The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, Monash University Museum of Art, The Oliver Ranch
Foundation, Columbus Metropolitan Library, The Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Gulbenkian Foundation,
Tyler Museum of Art, Museum Meermanno Huis van het Boek, The Hague, The Nassau Museum of Art,
Limerick City Gallery of Art, Ireland, The Center for Book Arts, The Contemporary Art Society, London,
among others. Fontanive won the 2018 Brooke and Hap Stein Emerging Artist Prize, MOCA Jacksonville and
The Desmond Preston Drawing Prize, The Royal College of Art, and has also been awarded the residency at The
Marble House Project, VT. Fontanive lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio.”
Reception: April 26, 2025 | 5:30–7:30 pm
1626 C Hi Line
Dallas, 75207 TX
(214) 939-0064
Get directions