John McVay (he/him, b. 1985, American) lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. He teaches art at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he earned an MFA degree in Fine Arts. A transplant to Las Vegas, McVay has spent most of his life in Arizona, between Phoenix and Tucson. His visual language has been shaped by immersion and involvement in the punk, metal, and noise scenes in Arizona; a collage sensibility and D.I.Y. aesthetic threads McVay’s work together like patches on a denim vest. He has an affinity for collecting things and searching thrift stores for materials, seeking items that others may think belong in a landfill (cassette tapes, records, old magazines, dirty stuffed animals). McVay’s interests in deconstructing the performance of masculinity, the influence of mediated experiences on social conditioning, and a critical examination of power are guiding themes that intertwine to inform paper artworks, noise music, video performances, installations, and soft sculptures.
Check out this video footage from my live noise performance, Rug Rubber, for the reception of my solo exhibition, Perfectly Natural at UNLV's Donna Beam Gallery (March 21- April 15, 2022). Big shout out and thank you to Keeva Lough for this excellent documentation of my performance!
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Install shots from my solo show, Perfectly Natural, that was on display at the University of Nevada Las Vegas's Donna Beam Gallery, April 2022.
A collaboration between myself and Emily Sarten, exploring the concept of self-celebrity and self-aggrandization through social media platforms.
Video loop from my solo exhibition Man In Uniform (2020), featuring the videos Hair In My Hamburger, Shit Cupcakes, and Record Smash. Here is a link to a video walkthrough of the exhibition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5atEMeT1qUY
Commemorative t-shirts for the World Famous Drawing Machine, displayed at the Commodified art show.
A variation of equipment set up for sound art explorations.
Emily Sarten and me performing an audio/visual improv-based tape mixing set at UNLV for the first ReviveR performance series.
Commemorative t-shirts for the World Famous Drawing Machine, displayed at the Commodified art show.
Pics from Commodified, MFA Open Studio Tours, and ReviveR, 2019 @ UNLV Graduate Studios, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pics from Commodified, MFA Open Studio Tours, and ReviveR, 2019 @ UNLV Graduate Studios, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Saturday, May 11, 2019, between 6-8 PM, I will be showing some of my prints at the Gallery Opening Reception of Playground Arts in Mesa, Arizona! This venue, run by Sound Art Arizona, is dedicated to sound art but they will be exhibiting experimental visual works as well. The opening reception will feature immersive sound art performances and visual art by Jim Fike, Erika Lynne Hanson, Lena Klett, Kristen Miologos, Tony Obr, and Jimmy Peggie, as well as myself.
https://www.facebook.com/events/336956876967875/
I was recently interviewed for a local Phoenix arts magazine called Voyage Phoenix. Click on the link to read a little more about my story:
Here is some footage of my performance with Emily Sarten from the closing reception of Low Data @ Modified Arts in Phoenix, 01/04/2019: