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We’ve all received postcards from those travelling to far off places, extoling the virtues of the exotic with sentiments like, “The light is so beautiful this far North,” or the simple, more prosaic, “Having fun!” but most of the time the ending phrase, heartfelt as it sometimes is, is usually, “Wish you were here.” The phrase not only suggests a kind of momentary wistfulness, but - and perhaps more importantly -denotes a state of being aligned more with the experience of forging one’s life rather than simply existing.

Wish You Were Here features contributions by Amoako Boafo, Noah Davis, Lenz Geerk, Wangari Mathenge, Betye Saar, Henry Taylor and Brenna Youngblood, among others. The exhibition brings together a selection of artworks focusing on deconstructing moments of self-reflection by asking pertinent questions about what it means to be alive so as to better comprehend the responsibilities we have to ourselves and to each other.

There is also the sense that a phrase such as this might bring someone back from time or death, or at least conjure up the memory of their importance back to life. While this could easily be described as nostalgia, the wish-act is more actively transformative than static.

Inspired to an unfamiliar degree, Wish You Were Here creates a longing within, a near perfect simultaneous interruption and retreat. The artists in this exhibition strive to connect to an intimate relationship between the object and the viewer, which takes its form as the visual exchange. 

The works on view - ruminations, really – are variations of this theme. There is also a nod to the more traditional genre of portraiture, the kind of art that forefronts experience yet has elements of expansion and memory within. The artists’ presentation of scale – small, intimate, almost diminutive – peers into and challenges the identity and history of its subjects. They allude to private moments, borrowed time, an awareness of actions and habits in relation to others.

Betye Saar Superior Quality and Design, 1998 Mixed media on vintage washboard 24 x 12.2 x 4 in (61.0 x 31.0 x 10.2 cm)

Betye Saar
Superior Quality and Design, 1998
Mixed media on vintage washboard
24 x 12.2 x 4 in (61.0 x 31.0 x 10.2 cm)

Brenna Youngblood Dear Mom, 2020 Mixed media 19 x 14.75 in (48.3 x 37.5 cm)

Brenna Youngblood
Dear Mom, 2020
Mixed media
19 x 14.75 in (48.3 x 37.5 cm)

Lenz Geerk Untitled, 2019 Acrylic on canvas 15.75 x 11.81 in (40 x 30 cm)

Lenz Geerk
Untitled, 2019
Acrylic on canvas
15.75 x 11.81 in (40 x 30 cm)
 

Wangari Mathenge Coffee At Cassell’s, 2019 Oil on canvas 18 x 14 in (45.7 x 35.6 cm)

Wangari Mathenge
Coffee At Cassell’s, 2019
Oil on canvas
18 x 14 in (45.7 x 35.6 cm)

Raymond Pettibon Untitled (Cut Surfer; JFK, Bobby, Lyndon Johnson), 1986 Ink and graphite on paper 11.5 x 7 in (29.2 x 17.8 cm) image;  21 x 17.375 in (53.3 x 44.1 cm) frame

Raymond Pettibon
Untitled (Cut Surfer; JFK, Bobby, Lyndon Johnson), 1986
Ink and graphite on paper
11.5 x 7 in (29.2 x 17.8 cm) image; 
21 x 17.375 in (53.3 x 44.1 cm) frame

Henry Taylor Portrait of Dee Kerrison, 2019 Acrylic on canvas 24 x 20 in (61.0 x 50.8 cm)

Henry Taylor
Portrait of Dee Kerrison, 2019
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 20 in (61.0 x 50.8 cm)

Noah Davis In Watermelon Sugar 8, 2010 Oil on linen 10 x 10 in (25.4 x 25.4 cm)

Noah Davis
In Watermelon Sugar 8, 2010
Oil on linen
10 x 10 in (25.4 x 25.4 cm)

Amoako Boafo Untitled, 2019 Oil on paper 13.25 x 12.5 in (33.7 x 31.8 cm)

Amoako Boafo
Untitled, 2019
Oil on paper
13.25 x 12.5 in (33.7 x 31.8 cm)