Craig Drennen, ORANGE BANDIT (NO AUDIO), 2019; oil & alkyd on canvas, 24 x 24 inches. Image courtesy of David Kaminsky.
Installation view of Craig Drennen: Merchant, Bandits, and Certain Senators at Laney Contemporary, Savannah. Image courtesy of David Kaminsky.
Since 2008, Craig Drennen has used Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens to structure his studio practice and this exhibition title refers to the most recent three characters that he has addressed. Drennen’s interest in Timon of Athens stems from its position at the very edge of the Western canon and Drennen’s belief that edges become useful provisional zones that allow for new artistic potentials with fewer restrictions. The play itself deals with foolhardy spending, dubious loyalty, betrayal, and exile. Contemporary associations are grafted onto each characters’ artworks, moving fluidly through fiction and history, words and objects, Drennen himself and a 17th-century play.
from the exhibition text
Installation view of Craig Drennen: Merchant, Bandits, and Certain Senators at Laney Contemporary, Savannah. Image courtesy of David Kaminsky.
Craig Drennen, (Miss You Jock Homo), 2021; oil on canvas over panel, 50 inches diameter. Image courtesy of David Kaminsky.
Installation view of Craig Drennen: Merchant, Bandits, and Certain Senators at Laney Contemporary, Savannah. Image courtesy of David Kaminsky.
Craig Drennen, (Rocket Man), 2021; oil, alkyd, spray paint, paper relief on paper, 37.5 inches diameter. Image courtesy of David Kaminsky.
Installation view of Craig Drennen: Merchant, Bandits, and Certain Senators at Laney Contemporary, Savannah. Image courtesy of David Kaminsky.
Craig Drennen, (Delta Dawn O Superman), 2021; oil & alkyd on canvas over panel, 60 inches diameter. Image courtesy of David Kaminsky.
Disclaimer: Craig Drennen is a member of Burnaway’s board. Editorial decisions on coverage and consideration are made completely independently of advertising or board relationships.
Harrison Wayne reviews the entangled sculptures and taxidermic specimens found in As for me, I’m just passing through this planet at Bad Water, Knoxville.
