Please join us at our St. Marks location for the launch of BURN MAN, the first graphic novel by Brooklyn based artist Shawn Kuruneru.

BURN MAN is a surreal, film noir, horror story that brings together fire ceremonies, punk initiations, phantasmagorical visions, and tragic heroes. A man attempts a burn ritual in New York City and begins a terrifying journey that reflects his own inner turmoil. He encounters drugged out possessed cannibal punks, mass clusters of subway rats, the Grim Reaper, and an old lady licking a toad. This first volume collects chapters 1 through 5.

56 pages, black and white, offset printing, 7.86 x 10.5 inches, edition of 500, First printing, New York, NY September 2018 ISBN # 978-1-7327128-0-5 The book launch will also present original artwork from BURN MAN, and a companion zine BURN MAN Drawings.

Kuruneru maintains a studio practice that focuses on painting and drawing. He takes inspiration from artists like Ad Reinhardt and Phillip Guston, who were committed to painting but also drew comics and cartoons that ended up playing a large part in their body of work. In past exhibitions Kuruneru has created a one page comic as his press release to connect formative influences with his current studio practice. BURN MAN expands Kuruneru’s exploration of mark making, ink painting, and his interest with the medium of print and comics.

Shawn Kuruneru (b.1984) received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec. Recent solo exhibitions include Compact Chaos, Ribordy Contemporary, Geneva, Switzerland (2017); Shawn Kuruneru, Brand New Gallery, Milan, Italy (2015); Rotator, Cooper Cole Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (2015); Select group exhibitions include Condo NY, Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York, NY (2018); Nice Weather, curated by David Salle, Skarstedt Gallery, New York, NY (2016); Face To Face, curated by Eugenio Viola, Palazzo Fruscione, Salerno, Italy (2016); 2159 Miles, curated by Brand New Gallery, Milan, Museo Britanico Americano, Mexico City, Mexico (2015) CK One Daily, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, California (2014); Day job, curated by Nina Katchadourian, The Drawing Center, New York, NY (2010).