Jp Terlizzi
As I recall I first observed JP’s works when he was a Critical Mass finalist a couple of years ago. I was immediately drawn to the thoughtful beauty of his work. He has an ability to give an emotional sensibility to each project. Strongly executed and visually spectacular his works also step into something comforting and familial. In The Good Dishes he continues to bring us into the home and reminding us of family by delighting us with visually stunning still life images These photographs evoke the grandeur of a long history of still life painting and imagery. Not only am I intrigued and charmed by these works I’m also in need of a snack.
-Steven J. Duede, Fine Art Photographer, Aspect principal
Utilizing the passed down heirlooms of friends and family, The Good Dishes celebrates the memory of family and togetherness. It borrows the stylized rituals of formal tableware and draws inspiration from classic still life paintings.
Jp Terlizzi
The Good Dishes
The Good Dishes integrates memory, legacy and metaphor with my response to loss. As I witness an early generation of family members pass, my cousins and I were each faced with the emotional task of cleaning out the family home. Sorting through the heirlooms, we would determine which items to toss, sell or preserve. Without fail, when it came to the family’s fine china, that item was always given to the person that most cherished its memory and sentimental value.
Growing up in a large Italian family, everything was centered around food and the family table. I remember vividly my mother’s vintage marigold stoneware dishes that she bought at the grocery store back in the early 1970s. She used them every day for as long as I could remember, and they had a life of their own. Along with my mother’s everyday dishes she had one set that she kept on display behind glass that only she handled, only she washed, and only she hand-dried; these were deemed “the good dishes.” Whenever I heard, “I need to use the good dishes,” that meant one of two things in our household: the priest was coming over for dinner or it was a very special occasion. Either way, the food presentation, table dress and table manners all changed whenever the good dishes came out.
Eating is a physical need, but meals are a social ritual. Utilizing the passed down heirlooms of friends and family, The Good Dishes celebrates the memory of family and togetherness. It borrows the stylized rituals of formal tableware and draws inspiration from classic still life paintings. Background textiles are individually designed and constructed to reflect patterns found in each table setting while presentation, etiquette and formality are disassociated by using food and fine china in unconventional ways as metaphors for the beauty and intimacy that are centered around meal and table.
JP Terlizzi
Bio
JP Terlizzi is a New York City visual artist whose contemporary practice explores themes of memory, relationship, and identity. His images are rooted in the personal and heavily influenced around the notion of home, legacy, and family. He is curious how the past relates and intersects with the present and how that impacts and shapes one’s identity.
Born and raised in the farmlands of Central New Jersey, JP earned a BFA in Communication Design at Kutztown University of PA with a background in graphic design and advertising. He has studied photography at both the International Center of Photography in New York and Maine Media College in Rockport, ME.
His work has been exhibited widely in galleries and museums across the United States including juried, invitational and solo exhibitions. JP has received several awards and honors, including being recognized and named in The Critical Mass Top 50 (2019, 2018), Critical Mass Finalist (2016, 2015). His work has been published in both online and print publications and is held in both permanent and private collections across the United States and Canada.
JP is currently represented by Foto Relevance Gallery in Houston TX.
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