HoboEye Art:
John Casey, Oakland, USA

"Picket Fencing"
An Installation at Swarm Gallery
May 23 - June 22, 2008

"A father of four young boys told me this story. His sons were out playing in their large backyard one afternoon. At one point, the father went out into the backyard and found his sons wildly battling each other with numerous wooden pickets torn from his pristine white-picket fence. The boys were literally fencing with pickets.

Aside from the obvious pun, for me, the story conjured images of an epic battle where the combatants splinter their environment to extract weapons to wield against each other. With total disregard for the iconic power of the white-picket fence (middle-class structure, suburban culture, ownership society, etc.), the manic adolescents destroy the fence with glee.

'Picket Fencing' is simply my attempt to capture the spirit of that manic scenario using a cast of characters I have developed over time. The implied politics or metaphors are left open-ended for the viewer to parse. Remember, it's always fun until someone looses an eye". - John Casey

Visit John Casey's web site >

About Swarm Gallery:
Swarm Gallery opened in March of 2006 in Jack London Square’s Ironworks Building. Representing emerging California and international artists, the gallery strives to cultivate a space that connects both seasoned and novice collectors with artists working in a variety of media.

Swarm is the latest addition to a growing number of arts venues in Oakland, and features rotating exhibitions, creative events, professional practice workshops for artists and a seasonal arts lecture series. The staff at Swarm Gallery is readily available to discuss work on view and help in the acquisition or installation of new work. Visit Swarm >