Jerry Ross Barrish has well earned the title, Plastic Man.
Known for creating sculptural assemblage out of scavenged plastic debris, primarily from the beaches near San Francisco or Bay Area recycling centers, Barrish has pursued his chosen medium with a singular determination. For the past two decades he has dedicated his career as a sculptor to discarded plastic, just about the lowest caste of material available. Resourcefully piecing plastic cast-offs together, Barrish’s particular talent lies in coaxing characters or tableaus from the debris, creating figures whose familiar gesture and all-to-human stance evoke a recognition and response in the viewer.
At times heroically upbeat or helplessly hopeful and at times conveying a full range of discouragement and regret, the cast of characters on view at Transmission offers a broad review of Barrish’s devotion to the medium. The works range in date from the early 90’s to pieces finished very recently, a testament to the artist’s longstanding preoccupation with the human form, story telling and cultural icons. The underlying pathos of the material lends a dimension of veracity to these works, as if referencing and visibly acknowledging the toll that time takes on us all while we valiantly strive for validation.
Barrish and his work are also the subject of “PLASTIC MAN: the artful life of Jerry Ross Barrish,” a documentary film by William Farley. Produced by Janis Plotkin in 2015, the film runs 74 minutes and will screen at 7 pm on Tuesday, December 6th, at the New Parkway Theater, 474 24th St in Oakland. All are welcome to attend the post-screening reception at Transmission Gallery, 770 West Grand Ave from 8:30 – 10 pm, following the film.
Colorful and tenacious, Jerry Ross Barrish has a long and storied history in the Bay Area from his early days as a bail bondsman and independent film maker to his decades long effort to be recognized as a sculptor despite his chosen, but often disparaged, medium. His work can now be found in institutional collections including the Berkeley Art Museum, Crocker Art Museum, di Rosa Preserve, The Oakland Museum of California and San Jose Museum of Art, among others.
There will also be a First Friday Reception for the exhibition at Transmission Gallery on December 2nd, 2016 from 6-9 pm. The event is free and open to the public.
