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And They All Gather Around the Zenith
Jason Delgado
October 12 - November 02, 2024
1/4
All Aboard the Slumber Train to Arced Dreamworlds
Jason Delgado’s latest exhibition, And They All Gather Around the Zenith, offers an exploration of the personal and collective self through his paintings of pillows. The artist uses the imagery of this household object, something mundane yet highly personal, to symbolize reflection, vulnerability, and contemplation.
The zenith is the highest point in the sky reached by the sun or stars. The artist gently prods our sights up this celestial arc as his work invites viewers to lie back and look up. Delgado seemingly reminds us that this act compels us to search inward, pondering on our hopes and fears as we gaze at the stars (or, often, our bare ceilings) for inspiration. At least until we feel the welcome pull of exhaustion finally lulling us to sleep.
Painting pillows since 2017, Delgado views them as silent confidantes, vessels for innermost thoughts and dreams. Each painting has its character, a personal witness to private moments. But in And They All Gather Around the Zenith, these intimate objects are infused with contrasting elements: some have symbols of war and circus acts, while others are juxtaposed with hopeful motifs like flowers and birds. Several of them sprout gardens on printed fabric, the body impression of a head kept intact. Two pillows are bound with each other with pillowcases pulled and sewn together with knotted red thread. Others seem undisturbed and revered, still waiting to receive weary heads or other parts of fatigued bodies.
With intricate oil on canvas pieces contrasting with his previous minimalist works, the artist embraces horror vacui or fear of empty spaces, filling the canvas with detail and contrasts. Channeling turmoil and the complexity of life, his pillows embody tensions between serenity and discord. One of the notable works in the exhibition, White Noise, encapsulates this concept: while chaos may seem overwhelming, there is beauty and calm within it, much like white noise itself, which soothes the mind amid the distractions of life, calming restless souls or even a fussy baby.
As a new father, Delgado draws inspiration from his role as a hands-on dad, changing his perspective, and adding layers of caution and accountability for other lives. His nightly painting routine now often affords him a break at 3 or 4 AM and he fully relishes it while gazing at the sky from his rooftop, which mirrors the zenith’s upward arc during these moments of solitude. Thus his creative practice has become an act of cherishing fleeting moments, much like the transient peace one finds in enjoying rest.
And They All Gather Around the Zenith signals a new perspective for Delgado. Perhaps we should not only admire the beauty of his pieces but reconcile with the deeper sentiments they evoke within. After all, they lead to the quiet moments when hopes, dreams, and fears gather, like an enveloping embrace that cradles, nurtures, and rejuvenates.
Kaye O’Yek
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