Artist Statement
“The title for these works come from a novelty song lyric written by Frank Silver in 1923 that is now in the public domain. The song has a varied & long history which includes popular entertainment as well as being used by relief protestors in Belfast Ireland in 1932.
I have used it in these works commenting on food insecurity in communities throughout the country as I believe it represents a current national situation…working people are continuously being told “yes” but it actually means “no”…resulting in unjustified hardship ,often food related, on the worker and their families.”
Artist Bio
Leo Morrissey received his MFA from Rutgers University. He has been a recipient of a Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant and the Hauberg Fellowship from Pilchuck Glass School. His artwork has been included in exhibitions at the, Museum Of Modern Art, New York, Taiwan Museum of Art, Monash Gallery in Australia, Glassmusset Ebeltoft Denmark and the Musee du Pays et Val De Charmey, Switzerland, Eugenio de Almeida Foundation, Evora, Portugal, Galleria Carbone, Ferrara Italy.
His work is also included in the PIEROGI Flatfiles in New York, NY.
FOUND, a book of Morrissey’s work was published by Redfoxpress in Achill Island Ireland in 2016.
His work is included in numerous public and private collections and archives including the following: Taiwan Museum of Art, ROC, Taiwan, Republic of China, Museum of Modern Art Silverman Fluxus Collection, New York, NY, Museum of Modern Art/ Franklin Furnace/Artist Book Collection and the The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Museum in New Brunswick, NJ.