Thierry Goldberg is pleased to present Memory Concourse, a group exhibition of works by Ji Won Cha, Bethany Czarnecki, Aristotle Forrester, Jeremy Lawson, and Julio Cesar Williams. The exhibition opens on January 11th, with a reception from 6-8pm, and will run through February 10th, 2024.
Memory Concourse unifies five artists under the centralized theme of abstraction as a means of visceral exploration. Through a wide range of painting methods, the works on view transcend the conventional boundaries of representation, while inviting the viewer to ponder the profound and the ephemeral.
Ji Won Cha's paintings embark on a contemporary reevaluation of the sublime, where the warp and weft of natural subjects intertwine with the ethereal dimensions of space. She beckons viewers to traverse newly discovered hallowed pockets within her landscapes, uncovering a larger social prognosis of anxiety and uncertainty. Each of Cha's creations erupts into existence, a dynamic dance of explosive bubbles and swirling forms that compose an enticing, albeit thrillingly perilous, visual symphony. Her delicate and whimsical strokes defamiliarize the recognizable world, ushering us into a realm where contradiction thrives. On her canvases, Cha masterfully reconciles the dichotomy of fear and hope we all hold for the future.
In a graceful dance with the ephemeral, Bethany Czarnecki channels fluid and meditative lines to explore the nuanced realms of femininity and sensation. Her artistic inquiry, reminiscent of a pensive journey, delves into the intricate interplay of color, drawing inspiration from a rich lineage that includes artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Judy Chicago. Through her skillful brushwork, she crafts paintings that extend an invitation to the viewer's senses, coaxing the eyes to relax, wander, and simply feel. A virtuoso of color, she sculpts a tranquil depth and a tantalizing ambiance that envelops each canvas. Within the confines of her creations, Czarnecki strikes a delicate equilibrium, harmonizing a distinctly human familiarity with an ethereal seraphic comfort.
In a poignant voyage into the realm of personal narrative, Aristotle Forrester navigates abstraction with a distinctively intimate hand. Drawing inspiration from the well of his own experiences, he employs a frenetic artistic alchemy, where thick globs of paint are mixed, smeared, and dragged across his canvases. Sublimated in the distortion of memory and unconscious projection, each work takes the shape of a metaphorical self-portrait. In doing so, Forrester implores the viewer to cast themselves onto the canvas; to find personal meaning in the spontaneous shapes that abstraction produces.
Relying on instinct and gesture, Jeremy Lawson’s impassioned paintings are imbued with an unmatched sense of vigor and raw hunger. Every work, massive in scale, immerses viewers in the layered smears of paint, manifesting a spontaneous quest to capture the ineffable and fleeting essence of art itself. Visually grounded by layers of striking colors and unexpected pattern, each orchestrates a temporal narrative, encapsulating the evolving moments of their own formation. Lawson deftly retains in each stroke the emotional urgency of the precise instant he created it. In the intricate dance of creation and revelation, the self-referentiality inherent in the Lawson’s work become a poignant reflection of the perpetual dialogue between individual identity and the timeless pursuit of artistic transcendence.
Julio Cesar Williams captures an emotive gauzy haze on his canvases. Each acts as an illusively attractive portal, calling to viewers to reach out and step into the imagined dream world behind them. He conjures a contemplative yet mysterious aura through nuanced shifts in color, allowing his work to breathe with life. With a deft touch, he transforms the canvas into a visual sanctuary, a gentle massage of washes of color that not only captivate the senses but also serve as a refuge, inviting reflection and offering solace amidst the chaotic clamor of the contemporary world.
Ji Won Cha (b. 1997, South Korea) lives and works in London, UK. She holds a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, and an MA in painting from the Royal College of Art, London UK. Cha’s work was previously exhibited at Wilder Gallery, London, UK; Soho Revue, London, UK; Victoria Law Projects, London, UK; Four You Gallery Dubai, UAE; Gallery Func, Shanghai, China; and Gallery Float, Gyounggi do, South Korea.
Bethany Czarnecki (b. 1980, Westwood, NJ) lives and works in Greenwich, CT. Czarnecki holds a BA from Barnard College of Columbia University, New York. She has had three solo exhibitions at Massey Klein gallery, New York, NY, and has participated in group exhibitions at the Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY; F2T Gallery, Milan, Italy; BOZO MAG, Los Angeles, CA; Hollis Taggart, Southport, CT; and Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
Aristotle Forrester (b. 1993, Chicago, IL) lives and works in New York, NY. He holds a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston MA, and he currently works toward his MFA at Columbia University, New York, NY. Forrester has had solo exhibitions at M Fine Art, Boston, MA; Matter and Light Gallery, Boston, MA; and the Object Center Gallery, Boston, MA. He has participated in group exhibitions at M Fine Arts, Palm Beach, FL; John Hancock Tower Boston, MA; Matter and Light Gallery, Boston, MA; and Brickbottom Gallery, Somerville, MA.
Jeremy Lawson (b. 1974, Warren, PA) lives and works in New York, NY. Lawson holds a BFA from Syracuse University, NY, and an MFA from Hunter College, New York, NY. His work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at Harper’s, Los Angele, CA; CFHILL, Stockholm, Sweden; and Kristen Lorello, New York, NY. Group shows include Carl Kostyál, Ibiza, Spain; Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY; and Hauser & Wirth, New York, NY.
Julio Cesar Williams (b. 1979, Oakland, CA) lives and works in New York, NY. He holds a BA from Indiana University and an MFA in Painting from Hunter College, New York, NY. Williams has participated in group exhibitions at Extra Scrutiny, New York, NY; Selena’s Mountain, Brooklyn, NY; 17-17 Troutman, Brooklyn, NY; and Filo Sofi Arts, New York, NY.
For more information please email or call the gallery at + 1. 212.228.7569 or info@thierrygoldberg.com