"Phone Calls From Leviathans", Amy Li Projects, New York

Joseph Arthur at Amy Li Projects March 12 - May 3, 2015.

Joseph Arthur's abstract renderings are soulfully psychedelic and playfully serious. The artist, whose own Museum of Modern Arthur site calls his work "a spiritual quest expressed through form, lines, and color, involving a profound search for the 'thread' of life, binding even opposing forces of torment and beauty. As with Arthur's music, evocative of such vivid imagery and emotion, his paintings dance with a similarity animated rhythm of form." 

Michael Stipe of REM says, "To riff off a riff; to update Ginsberg’s holy HOWL; to stand this naked; to wrestle an attention deficit world into a moment’s shivering standstill, just for a spiked breath of reflection: Wow. Joseph Arthur writes, builds, paints, draws, and creates because he has no choice. It is our luck that he does so."

"When it comes to the artwork of Joseph Arthur, there has always been a sense of urgency and living in the now," wrote Reverend Justito on Antiquiet in 2013. 

"Joseph Arthur doesn’t make art because he wants to; art uses Joseph Arthur as a conduit to express itself...his paintings...are more often than not representations of energy and matter at any particular moment in time." 

Yet another rave: "Seeing and Hearing is Believing! Joseph Arthur is truly a Visionary Musician and Artist breaking boundaries in his Art and Music. Let's just say Joseph's Art 

Shows are always ELECTRIC! Joseph is quality in whatever he creates and always A GENIUS AT WORK!" –Spencer Drate & Judith Salavetz, Award-Winning Iconic Designers for the famous and visionary in music.

Joseph Arthur's new paintings will be celebrated with an opening reception on Thursday, March 12 from 7-9 p.m at 166 Mott Street, New York, NY 10013.

Blue Dream

Do To The Beast (for Greg Dulli)

Electric Lady

Fragmented Soul

Greater Will

I Used To Be A Fig

If God Was A Mountain

King Dancer

Kiss Me Blue

Mary or Mona

Matrix Dance

Mission Electric

Simple Bliss

The Dream Hasn't Changed But I Have

The Dreamer

The Hip Hop Icon

The Light That Breaks Me Down

The Spider

Union

Warlocks and Witches

Review :

By The G.

The term “renaissance man” gets thrown around a lot and most times, the people in question do not live up to such a compliment. Joseph Arthur far exceeds that title and if he wasn’t so unbelievably cool to talk to and humble, his ability to be a genius in so many disciplines is so awe inspiring that it’s almost impossible not to feel puzzled that a person can be so gifted in so many ways. His latest exhibit “Phone Calls From Leviathans” at Amy Li Projects in New York mixes soul, spirituality and psychedelia and the results are, for lack of a better term, genius.

At the opening night party, which was held on March 12, 2015, Joseph Arthur made one of the best entrances I’ve ever seen at an art opening (and you already know from this site I’ve been to hundreds, if not thousands, of art openings). With a speaker the size of a small donut tied around his jacket bumping some tunes, Joe strolled into his exhibit literally wearing the new D’Angelo album “Black Messiah.” Perhaps it was one of those “you had to be there” moments, but even in thinking of it, I have a huge smile on my face.

Photo by The G.

If you are unfamiliar with Joe’s work, I urge you to fix that immediately. He’s a prolific and accomplished singer, songwriter, poet, multi-instrumentalist, Grammy nominee, artist and most of all – a really super cool guy. Take a stroll through his website (link will open in new window) and you will see that there is little that Joseph Arthur cannot do. If you’re one of my LA peeps, I urge you to check out even more new works from Joe on April 8, 2015 at Gallery Go (please RSVP to info@gallerygola.com) at 947 W. La Cienega Blvd. in West Hollywood.

“Phone Calls From Leviathans” is now showing at Amy Li Projects (located at 166 Mott Street) in Manhattan through May 3, 2015. Don’t miss it.

Great to see you again Joe and congratulations!