New Drawings By Jake Gilson to Open Saturday, October 17 at William Campbell Contemporary Art
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, October 5, 2020–Singularis, an exhibition of new drawings by Jake Gilson, will be on display October 17 through November 14 at William Campbell Contemporary Art. An opening event will be held on Saturday, October 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The gallery will also offer a 3-D virtual tour of the show, soon available at www.williamcampbellcontemporaryart.com.
Singularis marks the first time this collection has been exhibited. In keeping with recommended precautions due to the pandemic, the number of guests inside the gallery at one time is limited, and masks are required.Singularis will include more than a dozen large-scale abstract drawings in graphite and crayon, on paper and polyethelene. Filled with meticulously rendered horizontal lines, the austere yet intricate compositions remain free from any specific temporal context. Seemingly unending striations at once ground the surface and float atop it, weaving their way through physical and visual space. Completely nonrepresentational, the hand-drawn linear elements comprise the subject matter without actually defining it.
Gilson writes: I try to make a visual and emotional experience that is beyond ethical understanding. To see and feel without reference to what is known.
Some elements might be recognizable but the context is unrelated, making
it an enigma. If successful, there is a new reality that allows a moment
to be empty, limitless, and ripe.
Gilson’s drawings speak to the infinite possibilities of the moment, emerging as that new reality, stripping away what we recognize, and allowing fresh thoughts and feelings to manifest. All about the action of mark making and the elusive, ephemeral state that inspires the action, the drawings contain, according to the artist, “only what the process allows and nothing more.” They represent only the unknown and singular place he discovers while making them. The Latin term singularis means “alone of its kind.” Gilson’s pieces embody that singular moment of creation and then revelation. Thus, they become material evidence of the artist’s journey through that moment, even as they eschew any recognizable correlation to space, time, or object.
ABOUT THE ARTIST A long-established and noted artist, Jake Gilson has exhibited in galleries and museums across Texas, the United States, and abroad. He is the recipient of various awards, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pollock/Krasner Foundation, and has completed several artist residencies. His work has been featured in numerous publications. Gilson has taught art at various colleges and universities in the United States as well as overseas. He earned his MFA from Arizona State University and a BA from Humboldt State University in California. He currently resides in Utah.
ABOUT THE GALLERY Founded in 1974 by William and Pam Campbell, William Campbell Contemporary Art exhibits high-quality contemporary art in a variety of media, including paintings, works on paper, mixed-media constructions, photography, prints, ceramics, and sculpture. By exhibiting nationally recognized artists, along with new and emerging talent, the gallery aims to nurture an awareness and appreciation of the exciting diversity found in contemporary art.
CONTACT William Campbell Contemporary Art 4935 Byers Avenue Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817.737.9566 www.williamcampbellcontemporaryart.com Tuesday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. / Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m / by appointment
