James Dye was named the winner of this Biennial’s Sally R. Bishop Prize for Best in Show for his dip pen and india ink drawing, Temple of the Burdened Host (40″ x 27″). If you’re not able to come and see this work in person before the exhibition closes on June 2–electronic images do not do it justice–here is Samantha Cataldo’s juror statement on her selection:

James Dye’s dip pen and India ink drawing, The Temple of the Burdened Host, is an ambitious and complex work that showcases the artist’s skill and creativity. Bold and graphic, the large-scale drawing has immediate visual impact. The viewer is further rewarded by a closer observation of the work, which reveals elegant draftsmanship and meticulously rendered details.

 

The compositional structure of the work, and the curious creatures that populate it, are both familiar yet mysterious. While the technique and imagery evoke art of the past—such as medieval manuscript illuminations or relief carvings on Hindu temples—the visuals of the work are not wholly indebted to any art historical moment or religious folklore. In fact, some of the illustrative elements in the work resonate with contemporary media like graphic novels or even video games. In this work, varied traditions are conflated within the artist’s vivid imagination to produce a surreal, methodically rendered mythology of his own creation.