James Siena demonstrates remarkable mastery of exuberant line in this exhibition of works on paper. Known for his unique mark making and creation of complex visual systems, Siena blends mathematical rigor with a deeply intuitive and expressive approach to form and process.

In the drawings on view, Siena’s recursive motions across the paper plane “are methodical, but not entirely pre-planned,” describes Laura Bannister in the catalogue essay, “Each line moves in a similar—not identical—manner over and over, across the page, wryly imitating itself.” Structure and spontaneity coexist in the resulting geometric shapes, labyrinths, and free-flowing organic forms made from acrylic, colored pencil, crayon, india ink, gouache, graphite, and watercolor on varying, specially sourced paper stocks.

Rather than creating patterns, Siena insists his accretive lines form procedures. “Patterns imply a kind of repetition and uniformity,” he explains, “and what I’m interested in is the difference between things. If executed properly, the steps by which I carry out the procedure result in an unexpected outcome. An emergence.”

JAMES SIENA (b. 1957, Oceanside, CA) received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. For over two decades, the artist has taught at New York’s School of Visual Arts in the Masters of Fine Arts department. 

Siena’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA; University Art Museum, University of Albany, New York, NY; and Xippas, Paris, France, among others.

The artist has participated in group exhibitions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, and elsewhere.

His work may be found in numerous institutional collections including the British Museum, London, United Kingdom; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.

The artist lives and works in New York, NY and Otis, MA.