Jesse Lambert, "Shelter, Scatter, Feed"
July 11- September 6, 2020
Closing reception, September 6th 2-6PM
Join us for the closing reception with open viewing outside, complimentary glass of wine for ticket holders. Interior viewing is limited. (masks are a must)
Front Room Gallery is proud to present a solo exhibition of new works on paper by Jesse Lambert, titled, "Shelter, Scatter, Feed". This is Jesse Lambert’s second solo show at Front Room Gallery. In this exhibition, Lambert continues to explore themes of shelter, safety, and the passing of time. His ink and watercolor paintings on paper depict abandoned scenes in an abstracted rural space. In previous works, Lambert combined the spaces of domesticity and the natural world, with an occasional appearance of the human figure. His new work contemplates the new reality under COVID-19, and continues to evoke the universal need for shelter and protection. In these paintings Lambert imagines the world abandoned by human inhabitants, reclaimed by nature- as if the world has moved on, without us.
In this series, Lambert’s familiar color washes have taken on a more natural hue. Lambert presents a grouping of medium sized paintings which explore the theme of birdhouses as a metaphor for human needs. The birdhouses are falling apart or incomplete, dysfunctional structures failing to meet their stated function.
In his larger paintings, remnants of built structures of unknown use are scattered across a forested setting. Strips or planks of wood are nailed to tree trunks. A broken ladder promises ascent, but falls apart. Fragments of wood and string hint at former use, yet all vestiges of functionality have disappeared. Abandoned bird feeders swing precariously. Within the chaos of darting birds, falling leaves and flowers, and remnants of built space, a pattern almost emerges. These paintings emote a feeling of webbed interconnectedness that reveals the beauty of decayed things, and an allure of the poignancy of impermanence.
In a series of smaller black and white drawings titled "Lost and Found", fragments of the natural and human-made world float freely, deteriorating over time. These smaller works focus on Lambert’s bold line and inkwork; the graphic compositions inform the structure of his larger paintings
Jesse Lambert received a BFA from Cooper Union and a MFA in Painting from Hunter College. This is his second solo show with the gallery. He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He has attended residencies at the Vermont Studio School in Johnson, Vermont and the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art in Yerevan, Armenia. Jesse's exhibitions have been reviewed on Hyperallergic, artnet, in the The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Brooklyn Rail, The Yale Daily News and The Aravot Daily, Yerevan, Armenia. He was featured in New American Paintings #32.