Roxanne Jackson The Hole 

Roxanne Jackson, Fruit Plate, 2024, The Hole 

Roxanne Jackson’s ceramic works dance between the playful and the menacing, forsaking delicate and feminine associations of craftsmanship for something more primal and alive. In her process, transformation and alchemy are inherent as she starts with a malleable material that then hardens and ultimately becomes impenetrable through the firing process and the powerful agent of change that is heat. Moreover, Jackson’s use of glaze is unique: each piece undergoes firing from four to nine times at varying temperatures to build the surface. Finally, Jackson weaves the long history of ceramics with narrative, making the exhibition layered and potent.

“My work opens up a new path to reimagine craftsmanship and disrupt the expectations of ceramic sculpture. By approaching ceramics from many different perspectives, utilizing a variety of materials and techniques, I harness this medium and challenge conventional notions of beauty while simultaneously finding beauty in the unexpected,” says Jackson.

Her sculptures are created through the exploration of form, drawing from both highbrow and lowbrow culture, mythology, and tradition. Sometimes tapping into traditional and functional forms like vases and candle holders, the sculptures are infused with her distorted mythology. Born from this eerie tradition, these metamorphic and psychedelic “mysterious objects” defy a singular unified narrative. There are collisions of nature and fantasy, utility and absurdity, playfulness, irony, and the grotesque.

Critics, like Kay Whitney for Sculpture Magazine, have praised Jackson’s work as “brilliantly inventive: sinister, unsettling, and hilarious all at once. Wondering how we might reclaim monstrosity, Jackson’s work becomes an explosive combination… extracting and exploiting the tissues that bind the sexual and the grotesque.” Jackson’s work is described as a lush and complex topography of the spirit. She was born in California’s East Bay and currently resides in New York. Her work has garnered press attention from various publications including the New York Times, the New Yorker, and Forbes, among others. Jackson has participated in residencies across the globe and has exhibited in numerous museums and galleries worldwide.

In conclusion, Jackson’s work reflects a sublime relationship between the natural world and ceramic processes. Clay transforms from malleable to hard material, while Jackson manipulates heat and flux glazes. Deviant forms are enhanced by vibrant and glossy glazes, achieved through the layering of raw materials and multiple firings. These practices, mimicking geology, lead to unrestrained forms with complex surfaces, echoing the metaphorical and elemental qualities of earth and flux.

Aiko Tezuka Jane Lombard Gallery

Aiko Tezuka, Loosening Fabric #6 (Entangled), 2017, Jane Lombard Gallery

The philosophy of deconstruction and reconstruction lies at the heart of Aiko Tezuka’s dizzyingly intricate textile works. Since the inception of her artistic practice, Tezuka has been fascinated by the surface of objects. What constitutes an object’s surface? What lies beneath the surface? Can the surface be peeled back? Though we inhabit a world of surfaces, it is a material boundary often taken for granted. Every time we peel away a surface, a new one immediately appears – an infinite cycle, rendering the surface unreachable and invisible. The artist’s central inquiry delves into the fabric of existence itself, pondering how to strip away layers and make the invisible visible.

For Tezuka, time is the clandestine force that resides just beyond these immutable surfaces. Unexplored rainbows of color burst forth from tightly woven compositions. With the meticulous unraveling of textile surfaces, in a myriad of threads, the artist reverses time and, in the process, demystifies its non-woven surfaces. These unravelled tapestries become an exploration of what lies beneath, a reflection on the threads that bind past, present, and future.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Tezuka graduated from Musashino Art University with a master’s degree and Kyoto City University of Arts with a doctorate in oil painting. His works have been acquired and exhibited by numerous museums across Europe and Asia, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, the Fukuoka Art Museum, the National Art Center Tokyo, the Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art, the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, the Textile Museum (Tilburg, Netherlands), the Johann Jacobs Museum (Zurich, Switzerland), the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul, South Korea), the Turner Contemporary (Margate, United Kingdom), the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Berlin, Germany), and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Hamburg, Germany).

Cristina Garrido Curro

Cristina Garrido, Masters of Western Painting – Vincent Van Gogh, Wheatfield With Cypresses (2023), Curro

Born in Madrid, Spain, in 1986, Cristina Garrido is a visual artist whose captivating works delve into the intersections of art, history, and identity. Garrido’s artistic journey began with her studies in Fine Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid and Camberwell College of Arts, followed by an MA in Fine Art from Wimbledon College of Art, where she was awarded the prestigious Fundació “la Caixa” Grant for Postgraduate studies in Great Britain.

Throughout her career, Garrido’s artistic endeavors have garnered recognition and acclaim, earning her numerous awards, including the Generación 2015 Proyectos de Arte Fundación Montemadrid Prize, the Fundación Botín Visual Arts Grant, and the ARCO Award for young artists. Her works have been showcased in prestigious international exhibitions at renowned venues such as The British Museum in London, Centro Botín in Santander, and Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo in Madrid, among others.

Garrido’s contributions extend beyond exhibitions, as she actively engages with esteemed international institutions through seminars and lectures, sharing her insights and perspectives on art and culture. Her artistic contributions have been acquired by esteemed public collections including MACBA in Barcelona, The British Museum in London, and Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden in Dresden, among others.

One of Garrido’s notable installations, “Masters of Western Painting” (2023), delves into the early biographies of one hundred Western painters, from Giotto to Paula Rego. Through meticulous research, Garrido examines the social and psychological environments that shaped these artists, uncovering patterns such as family connections to circles of influence, astrological signs, and familial support for their artistic pursuits. The installation overlays wallpaper with intervened museum posters, obscuring information and prompting viewers to explore the images through a new perspective outlined with acrylic paint.

Cristina Garrido’s work serves as a thought-provoking exploration of art history and human experience, inviting audiences to reconsider familiar narratives and engage with the layers of meaning embedded within her installations. Through her multidisciplinary approach, Garrido continues to push boundaries and challenge perceptions in the contemporary art world.

Hilda Palafox Proyectos Monclova

Hilda Palafox, Impulso I, Proyectos Monclova

Hilda Palafox, born in Mexico in 1982, is a versatile artist whose creative repertoire spans painting, drawing, ceramics, and textiles. Within her strokes lies the enigma of femininity, harmonizing with symbolism that encompasses the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms. Palafox delves into the human body as a malleable material capable of shaping itself, utilizing the female figure as a primary means of expression.

Central to Palafox’s work is the line, portrayed as a continuous succession of points, symbolizing the interconnectedness of disciplines. Through the movement of her brush, she intricately weaves curved and straight lines to delineate the voluminous forms of her characters, often spanning large canvases. Her use of vibrant colors and textured planes, attributed to the materiality of oil, imbues her works with depth and dimension.

With a background in graphic design, Palafox’s artistic focus extends to the interplay of color and image syntax, creating a visual language that resonates deeply with viewers. Her pieces often depict everyday activities transformed into subtle analogies reflecting human emotions and experiences.

Currently based in Mexico City, Palafox studied at the Design School of the National Institute of Fine Arts (EDINBA). Her artistic journey has taken her to various exhibitions across cities such as Oaxaca, Querétaro, Mexico City, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Onomichi. Additionally, she has left her mark through mural installations in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Japan, and Brazil.

Through her multifaceted artistry, Hilda Palafox invites audiences to explore the complexities of femininity, human emotion, and the interconnectedness of visual expression. Her works serve as a testament to the profound resonance of art in illuminating the depths of the human psyche.

James Casebere Sean Kelly Gallery

James Casebere, Courtyard with Foliage (Day), 2021,Sean Kelly Gallery

James Casebere, born in 1953 in East Lansing, Michigan, is a prominent figure in the realm of constructed photography. His artistic journey began at Michigan State University and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he honed his skills before earning an MFA from Cal Arts in 1979, following his attendance at the Whitney Independent Study Program in New York.

For over thirty years, Casebere has been renowned for his innovative approach to photography. He creates intricate models in his studio, drawing inspiration from architectural, art historical, and cinematic sources. These models, meticulously crafted from simple materials, serve as the foundation for his hauntingly evocative photographs of abandoned spaces. Encouraging viewers to reconstruct narratives or symbolic interpretations, his work invites contemplation of prior events and the broader implications of societal systems.

While earlier works delved into American mythologies like the western genre and suburban life, Casebere shifted his focus in the 1990s to institutional buildings. In recent years, his explorations have delved into various institutional spaces, examining the interplay between social control, social structure, and overarching mythologies surrounding institutions.

Casebere’s artistic oeuvre has been celebrated worldwide, with exhibitions at prestigious venues such as the Sean Kelly Gallery and inclusion in the Whitney Biennial. His accolades include the American Academy in Rome Abigail Cohen Rome Prize Fellowship and fellowships from esteemed institutions like the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

His work is housed in prominent museum collections globally, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, among others. In recognition of his contributions, Casebere was honored as a New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame Honoree in 2016.

James Casebere continues to push boundaries in the realm of constructed photography, exploring the intricate relationship between architecture, society, and human experience. Residing and working in New York, his captivating imagery continues to captivate audiences worldwide. For further details, please visit jamescasebere.com.