Peter Tunney, the legendary New York artist, lives life to fullest. As life itself is the greatest artistic achievement, Peter brings art and life to everything and everyone he encounters. A gum wrapper, one hubcap, photographs of photographs, evidence of his actual footsteps, a leaf from Bhutan, a beautiful nude, these and everything is captured, collected, catalogued and added to his overflowing pockets, or left for another day, another time, each piece waiting for its own chance to become a part of Peter Tunney’s art. It is like reading notes to oneself left in the margin of a favorite book. Peter works painstakingly and meticulously to bring to life the art that resides in all things.
It is difficult to separate the life and the work of Peter Tunney, because in many ways they are one and the same. His work, which frequently mixes and varies in media, functions as relics of the constant performance that is Peter Tunney's life. His work is a part of a bigger story, one that has taken him across every inch of the globe, seen him tackle Wall Street, travel out of this world and land back down to earth where he declared himself once and for all, an artist. Having been around, Peter is able to produce works that probe our culture with authority, by mining images from newspapers, magazines, and art books and reinterpreting them through his own unique perspective. Through his work, Tunney offers wisdom from someone who has crossed over to the other side, and made it back alive to tell the tale. His recent works, where refreshingly optimistic phrases and quotes are colorfully painted over collaged headlines, serve as a subtle attack on our culture of fear and ennui. As our media sources relay stories of death, destruction, hysteria and greed, Peter whimsically overpowers them with his own headlines, such as "THE TIME IS ALWAYS NOW", "DON'T PANIC", "BELIEVE", "GRATTITUDE" and "CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE EVERYTHING". In doing so he functions as his own media machine, redefining ways for us all to interact with and understand the world around us.
Peter Tunney lives and works in New York. His work has been included in exhibitions and private collections around the world, and is currently represented by Pop International Galleries.
Pop International Galleries • 473 West Broadway • New York, NY 10012 • Tel 212.533.4262 • Fax 212.533.6553art@popinternational.com Designed by Archetypedesign
