FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Toronto, Canada, May 15, 2010 – Meta Gallery is pleased to present Strange Magic, new works by Jason Garcia. In his first solo exhibition with Meta Gallery, Garcia’s canvases explore themes of struggle and perseverance, alienation and integration, and the transformations that remain an integral aspect of the human experience.
In Garcia’s first dedicated solo exhibition to date and what amounts to a highly impressive feature debut for this accomplished artist, Garcia takes the viewer on a journey through a cosmological and geometrically articulated realm of the subconscious. In what appears to be a figurative approach to an abstract perspective, the artists renderings of the journey from being to becoming offer an insider’s perspective into inner and outer worlds while offering a visually engaging metaphor for the desire to achieve the fulfillment innate to the human condition.
Constructing the subtle yet distinct theriantropic narrative throughout the 9 canvases that comprise this series, the artist’s visual language is consistent in the repetition of its symbology yet at once varied in its expression. Male hands are shown in several different postures within each painting. In close proximity, through textured and densely layered geometrical landscapes evoking cosmic realms, predatory creatures lurk. In Untender Undone, a bear protects itself with the threatening jaws of a wild roar. In Shackleton, menaced by an expedition gone awry, a jaguar gnarls it’s teeth. Both are archetypal expressions of a desire burning deep to overcome obstacles. In each work, the human hands unique capacity for expressing universally recognizable gestures such as attacking, receiving, praying and caring all lend themselves to portraying aspects of humanity’s collective struggle, an exploration into the unknown to identify the beast within and contribute in a way which truly fulfills the core of our being.
Jason Garcia was born in Southern California in 1975. After receiving his BFA from UCLA’s art program in 1997 Jason moved to San Francisco to attend the San Francisco Art Institute. After his formal schooling, he became heavily involved with painting murals, taught color theory from 2001 to 2003 in the fashion department of the San Francisco Academy of Art and devoted himself to painting with STS9. His work has been exhibited from Los Angeles to New York, Tokyo to Amsterdam. He currently works and lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife, Dani.
Strange Magic will be on view from June 4 to July 4, 2010. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 12-6 and Sunday from 12-5. The opening reception will be on Friday June 4th from 7-10pm. Artist in attendance.
To be put on the preview list for this exhibition or to inquire about works please contact Jody Polishchuk at jp@metagallery.com
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