ADA Gallery is pleased to present The Origins of Corporate Witchcraft, an exhibition of new works on paper by Joseph Burwell.

The exhibition explores the parallels between historical and contemporary forms of myth-making. Inspired by the life and work of Leo Baekeland (inventor of Bakelite), the Greek myth of the Furies, and sci-fi horror films, Burwell’s dark humor connects shamanic magic and industrial chemistry through their stories of transformation. Using images of micro-plastics as the starting point, the resulting forms are absurdly seductive and ominous.

Burwell is a New York-based artist who works in a variety of media ranging from drawing through installation. Burwell has been a NYFA fellow in Drawing/Printmaking/Book Arts. He has participated in residencies in The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Workspace Program, The Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Studio Immersion Project, the PS 122 Project Studio Program, and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Joseph has shown his work in New York, New Orleans, Japan, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Ireland, Egypt, Canada, South Korea, and at different venues across the US. He has taught at Loyola University, Tulane University, and Penland School of Craft. He currently teaches at Pratt Institute.

In 2024, Joseph co-founded the Department of Cynical Delight, an artist collective that questions the line between art and design. Together with his partner Woojin Lee, They create sculptures, installations, and videos that use humor and conceptual rigor to dissect the absurdities of human behavior and cultural consumption.

These works on graph paper, created between 2022-2024, are also included in Joseph Burwell's current exhibit. We hope you can stop by! For inquiries, please email adagallery@gmail.com