Jay Bolotin

The Jackleg Testament and other works
(a working title)

Jan. 25 – Mar. 30, 2008

The Jackleg Testament: part one – Jack & Eve is two remarkable and interrelated bodies of work by Jay Bolotin. It is a portfolio of 37 woodcuts: all of the characters, landscape, buildings—the visual elements in the woodcut motion picture by the same name.

The Jackleg Testament re-tells the creation stories of Western religion. In Bolotin’s version of events, imagination commingles with literary and biblical references. The character of Jack, portrayed by the mannequin inside of a child’s jack-in-the-box toy, lures Eve away from Adam and the Garden of Eden. Together, they travel to Nobotown where the omnipotent figure of Nobodaddy reigns. Once in Nobotown, Nobodaddy arranges for Jack and Eve to participate in a stage production in The Theater of the Western Regions – a play within a play. In the chaotic aftermath of the play, Jack and Eve find themselves banished to their original fate.

In the past, Bolotin has translated his narrative woodcut prints into concerts, stage productions and mechanical operas (Limbus -- A Mechanical Opera, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, 2001). This exhibition will include the portfolio, motion picture and several other bodies of related work.