One River Gallery Presents "Word", featuring Brooklyn artists Erik den Breejen and Jim Torok

One River Gallery will present Word, a two-person exhibition featuring paintings by Brooklyn-based artists Erik Den Breejen and Jim Torok.  The show will run from January 11 through February 24.

“In the same way that Cy Twombly, Ed Ruscha, and Saul Steinberg have defined themselves by creatively incorporating text into their works of art, Erik and Jim represent the next generation of artists to explore this tradition,” says Matt Ross, owner of One River Gallery.  “Erik and John’s works use text in dramatically different ways, with approaches that are as idiosyncratic and individualized as art making is at its core.”

Erik den Breejen chronicles his passion for music by reinterpreting song lyrics as visual language.  His paintings integrate the words of such legendary performers as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Who, Pulp, and the Beach Boys.  He was born in Berkeley, California in 1976 and studied at UC Santa Cruz and California College of the Arts, where he received a BFA in painting in 1999.  Den Breejen moved to New York in 2000, receiving an MFA in painting from Cornell University in 2006.

Jim Torok is known for his narrative storyboard paintings that are based on observations of the world around him.  He weaves stories and concepts that blend humor with a flair of Andy Rooney-esque commentary.  Born in Indiana in 1954, Torok received an MFA from Brooklyn College in 1981.  His work has appeared in gallery and museum exhibitions across the U.S. over the past 20 years and is part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in addition to many important private collections around the world.

The opening for Word will take place at One River Gallery, 49 N.Dean Street in Englewood, NJ from 7 to 10PM on Friday, January 11.  The exhibit will run through Sunday, February 24.  For more information about Word, contact One River Gallery at (201) 266-5244.