Objects take on a surreal life of their own in the hands of artist Jeff Sheridan. He performs sleight-of-hand that often ends with surrealistic sculptural creations such as those on display here. Sheridan is recognized for enriching the wonder in magic with artistic and cultural meaning.
As a student at the School of Visual Arts in New York, Sheridan studied surrealism and was drawn to the work of Max Ernst. Some of Ernst’s early collages are reproduced here to illuminate one of the many associations that have been forged between magic and the history of art. These works reflect Ernst’s interest in magic manuals, which provided points of departure from the rational to the irrational world.
With surrealism in mind, Sheridan developed the idea to transform the ready-made object, during a surreal moment in time, into an uncanny experience of the “already-known.” Jeff Sheridan pioneered the art of street magic in New York and is shown performing before beguiled audiences in the photographs by Jim Moore and others that are exhibited here. The photographs show Sheridan transforming such public sites as Central Park’s Walter Scott monument into theater daily in the 70’s.
Subsequently, Sheridan embarked upon a distinguished career as a stage performer in the top venues of Europe. His vast audience includes leaders of culture, industry, and politics, including the President of Germany. Sheridan is a house artist at the renowned Tiger Palace in Frankfurt, Germany. He lives and works in New York and Frankfurt.
