Paul Sharits (1943-1993)

Together with Hollis Frampton, Paul Sharits was part of a cutting-edge Department of Media Studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo in the 1970’s to 1980’s. As a key figure in avant-garde filmmaking, Sharits was internationally recognized for his major contributions to abstract film—focusing on color and light in the individual frame. Unlike most other avant-garde filmmakers, Sharits was originally trained in painting, the technique of which he related to his films. Sharits returned to painting in the 1980’s and was influenced by his interest in the Fluxus art movement. Infected Pistol comes from a series of paintings Sharits produced during his turbulent healing period after being mistakenly shot in the stomach. The image of the gun reflects Sharits obsession with infections in relation to his gunshot wound, expressed in the nightmarish and threatening image of the gun barrel. His Untitled Portrait, shown in an adjoining space, was one of many paintings of distorted heads he made near the end of his life. Though it expresses a deep inner turmoil in the face, the painting, because of Fluxus’ anti-serious art influence, is done in neon paints. Appropriately, the piece is dedicated to the important Fluxus artist, Yoko Ono. — Joan Marotta, Curator, Burchfield-Penney Art Center