No Man's Land by Joianne Bittle

Churner and Churner's Inaugural Show includes instillation works and pieces by Joianne Bittle.No Mans Land brings together two series of Bittles work: a recently completed group of paintings of jackrabbits (2008-2011) and the first of a series of portable dioramas. This will be the artists first solo exhibition in New York. With these two series, No Mans Land presents the multiple facets of Bittles artistic practice. As a professional diorama maker for the American Museum of Natural History, Bittle works with a technical precision honed through years of adherence to the strict conventions of diorama-making. Such precision is found in her paintings and drawings as well; the works from the studio, however, are noticeably freer in execution, and they manipulate subjects in a way that blends scientific research and artistic invention. In her artistic practice, Bittle has devoted much attention to the natural history of animals that exist in large numbers, with consideration of the unknowable nature of the animals instinctual motives within their environment. She is fascinated by the intersection of abundance and fragility, and both the paintings and the diorama attest to this. The paintings in Bittles series (collectively titled No Mans Land) depict lone, gnarly jackrabbits in a barren landscape. As a subject matter, the jackrabbit fits her interests well: the animal of prey is known for its reproductive power and ability to live in the scrappiest of conditions. In the paintings, the hares vivid expressions of arousal or fear inspire a disconcerting admiration; even when their gaze meets that of the viewer, the animals deny any attempt at anthropomorphization.