Couplets takes inspiration from several different series of prints produced by Michelle Oliner during the past decade. These prints are created by drawing on a foam plate with a dulled instrument such as a pencil, pen, or sharpened dowel. After printing the plates, typically in black, she adds a colored pencil overlay to each successive print, creating a novel version.
A selection of these works are presented as mated pairs to highlight the rhythm and meter of these relationships. The dynamics can be jarring, like a non-sequitur, but the totality is expressive and expansive, as the asymmetry invites a closer look and prolonged reflection.
Michelle Oliner
Big Rock, 2018 (top) | Monkey Rubble Pile, 2018 (bottom)
Michelle Oliner
Alligator Fish, 2015 (top) | Anteater, 2015 (bottom)
Michelle Oliner
Whole Wheat #2, 2018 (top) | Pumpernickel, 2018 (top)
Michelle Oliner
Little Seawitch, 2018 (top) | Fishnet, 2016 (top)
James Jasper’s works on paper introduce another aspect to this discourse. His process is methodical but economical as he completes each composition in a single sitting, rendering his abstract portraits in permanent pen or thick, indelible charcoal, without hesitation. His meditations produce multiples (or series) that are linked through their shared referent – the image, subject, or themes his drawings point to in the world.
Jasper’s embroideries remain more mysterious as their designs seem to emerge from his memory, or other non-representational musings. Created sporadically over the course of many months, if not years, these works are defined by concentric rings of linear stitches and colorful patches of dense texture that are reminiscent of fields or farmland, seen from above.
James Jasper
Samurai, 2018
James Jasper
Untitled Figure, 2014
James Jasper
Untitled (Topography I), 2017 - 2021
James Jasper
Untitled (Topography II), 2017 - 2021
James Jasper
Man with Hat, 2013
James Jasper
Boy, 2013
James Jasper
Owl, 2013
James Jasper
Turkey, 2013
Sharing these contemplative tones, Tom Neumeyer’s ceramic vessels belong to a more open-ended series. His strong glyphic markings mimic and dissect their ceramic shapes with deeply inscribed lines and grids that contain hidden figures, cryptic messages, and tessellating geometry. This visual theme is continually revisited throughout his practice in different media, providing a window into a complex world that is intricate and highly organized.
In its entirety, the exhibition presents the successive and repeated gestures of these artists’ sustained attentions. Their iterative approach reminds us of the unresolved nature of artistic practice and time. Actions or moments are strung together and made continuous even when asynchronous or lacking agreement.
Tom Neumeyer
, 2022
Tom Neumeyer
Robot Box, 2022
Tom Neumeyer
Circle Lines, 2022
Tom Neumeyer
Love Monsters, 2021
