Opening Saturday January 25th 2-5pm in the Judith Holiday Lobby Gallery
In Jamaican patios "running a boat" refers to a social gathering where friends, family and neighbors collectively contribute to an activity such as preparing a feast or addressing a need. At Kitchen Theatre Company we are pleased to present Running A Boat, an exhibition featuring work from Jamaican, American artist, educator Jesse Wright. In these vibrant paintings Jesse tells a nuanced and personal story. His work serve as an ongoing meditation on displacement, migration and scripture. The images shift from one level to the next, from figurative elements to painterly gestures. Ancestral narratives and present-day experiences are intertwined. Materials are collaged and juxtaposed to complete the tale. There are items picked up off the streets, bits of advertising and sign painting, typical in Jamaica. This layered visual language speaks to a longing for home both physically and spiritually.
Wright received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and Middlesex Polytechnic in England. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions including Passaic County Art Center, Hawthorne, NJ; Newark Historical Society, Newark, NJ; Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, NJ; Kean University, Union, NJ and Shore Institute of Contemporary Arts, Long Branch, NJ; Latchkey Gallery, New York, NY. Large scale commissioned murals can be seen in Terminals A & B at Newark Airport, NJ.
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