The Ape Machine is a ubiquitous and parasitic narrative factory that uses a mélange of mischievous mythical characters to illustrate very real feelings such as fear, love, loathing, solitude, etc. Beebe animates his work with strange and fictitious figures such as ‘Popular Charlie', ‘Sometimes Girlfriend', ‘Allfur', ‘Zuggmoy', and ‘Sonasty' whom he peppers throughout his current series.

These demonstrative compositions are fractured vignettes that draw upon the artist's personal views and experiences within an elusive social environment. Influenced by Surrealism, cartoons and Japanese film, Beebe pours his psyche upon the audience, exposing his innermost fantasies and concerns. Initially construed as an enormous boiling pot of discordant imagery, Beebe's seemingly chaotic drawings actually offer a linear narrative that is equally surprising and sound.

Beebe's dexterous illustrations further his ability to heighten his storytelling prowess with the subtlest of marks. His delicately rendered fictionalized characters are curious combinations of brutishness and banality. Through a freakish amalgamation of styles and stories, Beebe's bizarre arrangements set the viewer down a profound path of visceral and emotional experiences.

Jeffrey Beebe

Born 1971 Indianapolis, Indiana
Lives and works in Long Island City, New York

EDUCATION
2006 School of Visual Arts, MFA, New York, New York
1999 American Academy of Art, BFA, Chicago, Illinois

SOLO AND TWO-ARTIST EXHIBITIONS
2008
Lyons Wier Ortt Gallery, The Ape Machine, New York, NY

2006
Lisa Boyle Gallery, Always Stuck With Leaving, Chicago, Illinois

2003
ARC Gallery, The Plague Idiots, Chicago, Illinois

2002
ARC Gallery, Married to the Sea, Chicago, Illinois

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2006
Aqua Miami, Lisa Boyle Gallery
New York Narrarives: Works on Paper, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan
Art 212, Step (1) Booth, New York, New York
A Delicate Arrangement by Dan Cameron, David Zwirner, New York, New York
P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Throughout the Building, New York, New York
Scope New York, Step (1) Booth, New York, New York
Baditude by Bob Nickas, Visual Arts Gallery, New York, New York

2005
Sixty-Seven Gallery, The Sasquatch Society, New York, New York
Studio Place Arts, Group Show, Barre, Vermont
Lisa Boyle Gallery, Group Show, Chicago, Illinois

2004
Lisa Boyle Gallery, New Works on Paper, Chicago, Illinois
Fort Wayne Museum of Art, 2004 Biennial, Fort Wayne, Indiana

2003
Zg Gallery, As Small As Possible, Chicago, Illinois

2001
Carrie Secrist Gallery, Amused: Humor in Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois

GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
2002
Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP Grant), Chicago, Illinois

BIBLIOGRAPHY
2006
Art Letter, Paul Klein, September 2006
ArtInfo, Magdalene Perez, July 2006
A Delicate Arrangement catalog, Dan Cameron (David Zwirner Gallery), June 2006

2004
Biennial, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, July 2004

2001
Amused: Humor in Contemporary Art, Carrie Secrist Gallery, September 2001