What We Had on Hand: Nancy Gruskin x Jordan Kessler
Past exhibition
Overview
Nancy Gruskin, Tulips As Big As My Hand #8, 2020
What We Had On Hand presents a juxtaposition of two artists’ work made during the ongoing pandemic lockdown. Nancy Gruskin and Jordan Kessler work with different art mediums but serendipitously produced works that were inspired by found objects. Their works are different interpretations of still life from diverse points of views and mediums.
In her series of paintings and wood sculptures, Nancy Gruskin eschews a narrative for a more improvisational approach to composition. Many of the objects depicted are personal items that were readily accessible during the months of the COVID-19 lockdown. The same tulips, decorative boxes, vases, and ceramic pieces appear repeatedly, but not as a traditional arrangement of still life objects. Rather, Gruskin’s compositions are free-form and imagined, expressing her overarching interest in shape and color. The artist’s hand appears quite literally in each of the works, a reminder of touch and humanity during uncertain times. The seven “Cut-Outs” exhibited also reflect the pandemic’s effect on Gruskin’s studio practice. Originally envisioned as slabs of glazed clay, these works morphed into wood sculptures cut with a band saw when the coronavirus forced the closure of local ceramics studios.
Jordan Kessler has the uncanny ability to see beyond the object. For example, in his ‘Batteries’ series, Kessler photographed thousands of alkaline batteries as non-recognizable entities; inviting the viewer to question the visuals presented. Through his photographic lens, he used this period of isolation to reflect on existentialism as one has to live with their own company for abnormally long time. For Kessler, isolation and solitude fueled a side of creativity that resulted in this new body of work. Works made in response to staring at oneself in the mirror while having limited access to objects yet still finding beauty in the mundane. This exhibition is a reminder that art inspires and comforts especially in challenging times.
