Jennifer Coates - "Toxic Halo" exhibition catalog

JENNIFER COATES Toxic Halo

Special thanks to the Civitella Ranieri Foundation for providing the inspiration for this body of work.

On Jennifer Coates’s Toxic Halo Although a drawing of a landscape may be made from memory or imagination, it invites us to entertain the possibility of verisimilitude and art as record of presence in a place, a first-person vision not unlike Dante’s in his Divine Comedy, a creation that says I was there, and this is what I saw, whether or not you believe that to be possible. If we suspended our disbelief and imagined Jennifer Coates’s images in Toxic Halo to be records of experience, what might we say she witnessed? Heaven or hell? Past or future? All of the above? The phrase “toxic halo” bleeds into other kindred paradoxes: wishful nightmare, or the locus amoenus (topos of the “pleasant place”) embedded in the locus coeruleus (nucleus of panic responses in the brainstem) and vice versa. Contemporary post-pastoral and anti-pastoral modes may seek to complicate and undermine a false idealization of nature, but the pastoral was always a genre of contrast, suffused with its own loss and distance. Coates is in conversation with the pastoral and its discontents, but her eschewal of straightforward critique and her willingness to both recoil and revel situate her in an ambiguous zone adjacent to genre formation: a para-pastoral.

The active mark making—whether the vigor of splash and stroke or the obsessive repetitive rendering of flora—seems to ask me to hold my breath to observe without disturbing the scenes as they unfold before my eyes, as if I have wandered off the proverbial path, away from both the innocence of an untouched Eden and the safe order of a cultivated rural landscape, finding myself closer to the symbolism of the fairy tale forest, site of peril, mystery, and transformation. I have lost my way in the woods, stumbled deeper, and reemerged into a clearing to witness these scenes unfolding. In some, the creatures—half human and half horse or wolf or dog—gaze toward me, their animal faces unsettlingly affectless. I cannot predict their next action if either of us were to move. In others, the intimate sexual, erotic, or communal acts proceed as if I were not there to witness, rendering me pure voyeur.

The hybrid figures provoke us to question our assumptions about our own stable embodiment. Are these the masks of ritual that allow us to become temporarily other than ourselves? Are they a manifestation of our primal essences? Are they experiment? Mutation? Abomination? The figures also become ghostly and the negative spaces between them charged, as if our familiar physical world and whatever lies beyond are in closer contact than we might want to believe.

And yet, when I step back, I have to contend with these scenes as contemporary constructions, not visions that can—or would intend to—fully transcend our time. Acculturation has laid claim to my mind such that even a longing to find a primal, or pagan, outlet must exhume and repurpose the past. It is naïve for me to hope to evade the weight of cultural histories here, as Coates’s canonical visual echoes from Classical sculpture to Cezanne to Klee prompt me into context while frustrating contextual implications, rendering historical recall as ambiguous as the expressions of her hybrid creatures. This is brain-as-bot, crawler, scraper, rogue traveler browsing art’s history, visiting systems unsanctioned to retrieve and index,

re-sow -isms’ seeds without a certain sense of duty or obeisance. Likewise, her willfully synthetic palette will not let me escape the sense that the effects of our industry and agriculture are such that even wild spaces are infused with accumulated human toxicity. Clearings are clouded with air pollution and contaminated with seepage and effluence. Coates has made a procedural choice to let figuration emerge from the material trace of accident, but in this ongoing moment of ecological crisis, no accident feels entirely innocent, and the future implicates our actions and inaction as surely and inescapably as the past. The plein air tradition endures here, but the sense of “plein” as “full” takes on ominous implications: fraught, replete, busy with. If the air is full, what is in it? The images interrogate what endures as solace and what endures as contaminant. Can we trust our vision(s)? The long post-paradise bleeds into the long pre-apocalypse, and I stand here at the Anthropo-scenic overlook, soaking in the view.

What does it mean to want to draw oneself to and into holiness, history, and ritual without the myopia required to fully believe? A blazing at shapes’ edges shimmers and wavers where the blinders would need to be for full immersion. The colors make a kind of stop–go–caution all at once, multivalent beckoning and warning. These haloes are not tidy, symbolic rings around a blessed head but pulsing forces of light and color animating the landscape itself. The sense of the spiritual endures, but these haloes could be oil spills, ripples in runoff, radioactive emissions or bombardment, force fields, or psychedelic distortions as easily as spiritual auras or denominational symbolism. Theirs are the warning colors that in nature might mean do not ingest, aposematic. Their energies activate attention and question what acts upon and what is acted upon.

The overt images of divination invite us to act the augur elsewhere, attempt not simply to see Coates’s mark making but to read it—the branches broken and stylized to vectors, the looped script of tree cover, the seismographic grass, an embrace made maze, abaci leaf patterns, bodies tallied together as unary numerals. To try to read for sign or omen is to grapple with what our present and past are trying to tell us of our future, and in failing to make these gestures legible as language, we reckon with the vast knowledge that exists beyond and outside of us. And while the stakes are serious, there is levity in their rendering: haruspicy as a wordless speech bubble, as if what the soul or body might tell us is just this riot of color humming before our eyes.

Dora Malech 2020 Dora Malech is a poet whose most recent books are Stet (Princeton University Press, 2018), Soundings: Selected (Eris Press, 2019), and Flourish (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2020). Her poems have appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, Poetry, and The Best American Poetry.

She is the recipient of awards that include an Amy Clampitt Residency Award, a Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship, a Mary Sawyers Baker Prize, and a Writer’s Fellowship from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation. She is an assistant professor in The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University.

Haruspicy, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60 inches

Blue Dogs, 2019, colored pencil and gouache on paper, 11 x 14 inches

Another Green World, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 96 inches

Two Deer after Franz Marc, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30 inches following pages: Weed Clump, 2019, colored pencil on paper, 9 x 12 inches Bee and Weeds, 2019, colored pencil on paper, 9 x 12 inches

Horse Woman in the Weeds, 2019, colored pencil and gouache on paper, 11 x 14 inches

Ramheads, 2019, colored pencil and gouache on paper, 11 x 14 inches following pages: Sacred Conversation, 2019, colored pencil and gouache on paper, 11 x 14 inches Horse Sense 3, 2019, colored pencil and gouache on paper, 11 x 14 inches

Caryatids, 2019, colored pencil and gouache on paper, 11 x 14 inches

Pagan Dance Party, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 96 inches

Three Bathers, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 72 inches

Tiger-Headed Bathers, 2019, colored pencil on paper, 9 x 12 inches

Lion-Headed Bathers, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 72 inches following pages: Bathers with Cow Skulls, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 11 x 14 inches Three Deer Bathers, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 11 x 14 inches

Two Dog Women, 2019, colored pencil and gouache on paper, 11 x 14 inches

Wolf Woman and Birds, 2019, colored pencil and gouache on paper, 11 x 14 inches

Garden Ghosts, 2019, ink on paper, 11 x 14 inches following pages: Horse Sense 1, 2019, ink on paper, 11 x 14 inches Horse Sense 2, 2019, ink on paper, 11 x 14 inches

Jennifer Coates b. Surrey, England

EDUCATION 2001 1995 ​

MFA, Hunter College, New York, NY BFA, Magna Cum Laude, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and University of Pennsylvania, PA

ONE AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS 2019 Toxic Halo, High Noon Gallery, New York, NY​(catalog) 2018 Electric Mayhem, Jennifer Coates (w. Caroline Chandler), Crush Curatorial, New York, NY Correspondences, Freight and Volume Gallery, New York, NY 2017 All U Can Eat, Freight and Volume Gallery, New York, NY (catalog) Phrogz, Jennifer Coates (w. David Humphrey), Fiendish Plots, Lincoln, NE 2016 Carb Load, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Jennifer Coates (w. David Humphrey) at Front Gallery, Houston, TX 2015 Jennifer Coates (w. David Humphrey) at Arts & Leisure, New York, NY 2014 Jennifer Coates (w. Tom Burckhardt) at Valentine Gallery, Queens, NY 2008 Kinz, Tillou + Feigen, New York, NY 2006 Kevin Bruk Gallery, Miami, FL Feigen Contemporary, New York, NY 2004 Luxe Gallery, New York, NY

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2020 Winter Picnic, SFA Projects, New York, NY A La Carte, University of Alabama at Birmingham 2019 American Earthquake, Vacation Gallery, New York, NY Chew, Opalka Gallery at Sage College, Albany, NY Off the Menu, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA Plastic Garden, Asya Geisberg Gallery, New York, NY Off the Menu, University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington, KY Dance with Me, Zurcher Gallery, New York, NY Sense of Place, 1Gap Gallery, Brooklyn, NY Quirk, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY New York, Just Like I Pictured It, Platform Projects, Brooklyn, NY Rainbow of Chaos, St. Charles Projects, Baltimore, MD 20x16 Biennial, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY 2018 Summer of Love, Freight & Volume, New York, NY Sense of Place, Park Place Gallery, Brooklyn, NY Sour Milk, 73 Orchard Place, Greenwich, CT 2017 The Secret Life of Plants, Freight and Volume Gallery, New York, NY (catalog) Music Seen, LABSpace, Hillsdale, NY Summer Invitational, David Schweitzer Gallery, Brooklyn, NY Cake Hole, Mrs. Gallery, Queens, NY Abandoned Luncheonette, Jeff Bailey Gallery, Hudson, NY 2016 XXXmASSS, Kate Werble Gallery, New York, NY CHOW, LABSpace, Hillsdale, NY Casino Cabaret, Safe Gallery, Brooklyn, NY Til Death Do Us Part, Lorimoto, Queens, NY 2015 Love Child, Ortega y Gasset Projects, Brooklyn, NY Pizza Party, Airlock Gallery, San Marco, CA Ornamenting Crime, Zurcher Gallery, New York, NY The Earth is All I Know of Wonder: Contemporary Responses to Marsden Hartley, Driscoll Babcock Gallery, New York, NY

2014 Improvised Showboat #4, Brooklyn, NY Arcturus, LABspace, Great Barrington, MA Broke Baroque, Sanctuary, Pittsburgh, PA Awkward Phase, 65 Maspeth Ave, Brooklyn, NY Color Me Badd, NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, NY Line, Butters Gallery, Portland, OR Shrink It, Pink It, Cathouse FUNeral, Brooklyn, NY 2013 Land Ho, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA Deep Cuts, Anna Kustera, New York, NY 2012 The Beatles, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA Grey Full, Jeff Bailey Gallery, New York, NY 2011 Signs on the Road, Winkleman Gallery, New York, NY 2010 Vivid, Schroeder Romero and Shredder, New York, NY Animal Companions, Andratx Cultural Center, Andratx, Mallorca Spring Fever, 106 Greene, Brooklyn, NY ​2009 Champagne, Yardbird, Songbird, American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy 2008 Red Warm Salt and Wet, 31 Grand Gallery, New York, NY To: Night, Hunter College, New York, NY Chroma, Adelphi University, NY 2007 Meta Majesty, Chashama, New York, NY 2006 The Norf*ckneasters Take Pluto, Pluto Gallery, Brooklyn, NY Summer View, Feigen Contemporary, New York, NY Beyond Pastoral, Gallery West 52nd Street, New York, NY Conversations, Ambrosino Gallery, Miami, FL

2005 Hello Sunday, Sixty Seven Gallery, New York, NY Adjunct Nation, University of the Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Somewhere Outside It, Schroeder Romero, Brooklyn, NY Women on the Verge, Alona Kagan Gallery, New York, NY If You Were Here, Conduit Gallery, Dallas, TX 2004 If You Were Here, Lexington Arts Council, Lexington, KY USA Today, Galleri SE, Bergen, Norway Elsewhere, Feigen Contemporary, New York, NY Synthesis, Axel Raben Gallery, New York, NY Simply Drawn, Luxe Gallery, New York, NY In Polytechnicolor, Michael Steinberg Fine Art, New York, NY Mystery Blaze in Holiday Cottage, Monya Rowe Gallery, New York, NY Grass & Honey, Champion Fine Art, Brooklyn, NY Colored Pencil, KS Fine Art, New York, NY Slippage, Collaborative Concepts, Beacon, NY Stop & Stor, Luxe Gallery, New York, NY 2003 Painting and Beyond, Galleri SE, Bergen, Norway 2 x 2, Union of Artists Exhibition Hall, St. Petersburg, Russia Ballpoint Inklings, KS Art, New York, NY Synthesis, Lafayette College, Lafayette, PA 2002 Go Figure, Luxe Gallery, New York, NY Words in Deeds, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Portland, OR 2001 Fhuh, Fishtank Gallery, Brooklyn, NY ​ CURATORIAL PROJECTS 2019 2017 2016 2014 2013

They’re Made Out of Meat, Platform Projects, Brooklyn, NY The Secret Life of Plants, co-curated with Nick Lawrence at Freight and Volume Gallery, New York, NY The Swerve, co-curated with Lauren Adams at Ortega Y Gasset, Brooklyn, NY Tossed, co-organized with Rachel Schmidhofer at Jeff Bailey Gallery, Hudson, NY Of-fence, De-fence, Ursa Major Arts, Great Barrington, MA

AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES ​ 019 Civitella Ranieri Foundation 2 2018-2019 Sharpe Walentas Studio Program 2015-2016 Stewart/MacMillan Endowed Chair in Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art 2008-2009 Visiting Artist, American Academy in Rome 1996 Vermont Studio Center BIBLIOGRAPHY ​2019 Chew: Food As Muse, Albany Times Union, November 20, 2019 Artists Magazine, Food Issue, September 2019 2018 Millree Hughes, “Free Festival,” Culture Catch, June 2018 Interview with Elena Sisto, Art Critical, April 2018 Tom McGlynn, “Jennifer Coates: Correspondences,” The Brooklyn Rail, April 2018 Sharon Butler, “Jennifer Coates: Lullabies for Difficult Times,” Two Coats of Paint, March 2018 One Piece, “Spring Trees by Jennifer Coates,” Bomb Magazine, April 2018 2017 Catherine Haggarty, The Secret Life of Plants, Curator Site, August 2017 William Eckhardt Kohler, “All U Can Eat, Jennifer Coates at Freight and Volume,” Huffington Post, March 2017 Chris Bors, Jennifer Coates’ Sweet and Savory Fare, Artist as Critic, April, 2017 Sharon Butler, “A Brief History of Food in Art,” Smithsonian Magazine, January 2017 2016 Interview with Natalie Westbrook, Lookie Lookie, November 2016 One Question, One Answer, Romanov Grave, May 2016 Sharon Butler, “The Swerve: When Wrong Goes Right,” Two Coats of Paint, February 2016 Interview with Caroline Chandler, White Hot Magazine, January 2016 Studio Visit, Pencil in the Studio, Maria Calandra, January 2016 ​ 015 2 K. Sundberg, “Two Shows Explore the Origin and Influence of Painter Marsden Hartley,” artsy.net Melissa Stern, “7 Contemporary Takes on Marsden Hartley,” Hyperallergic, February 20, 2015 ​ 014 2 Sharon Butler, “Food and Beverage Art,” Two Coats of Paint, July 2014

2013 Abstract Paintings by Jennifer Coates, Juxtapoz, July 15, 2013 ​ 2011 Roberta Smith, Art in Review, “Vivid: Currents in Female Painting,” New York Times, January 20, 2011 ​ 008 2 Elliot Green, “Jennifer Coates,” ArtNews, November 2008 Chris Bors, “Jennifer Coates in New York,” Artinfo.com, September, 2008 ​ 007 2 Paddy Johnson, “Pulse Comes out on Top,” Art F City, February 25, 2007 2006 Kienle / Jensen, “Fantasy, Melancholy and Angst, NY Arts, 2006 ​ 004 2 Survey of Contemporary Painters, Flash Art Magazine, 2004 Joyce Korotkin, “Jennifer Coates and Rick Levinson,” M - The New York Art World, December 2004 Amanda Church, “Colored Pencil,” Art on Paper, Summer 2004 Benjamin Genocchio, “A Backup Plan with Refined Results,” New York Times, May 30, 2004 ​ PUBLISHED WRITINGS ​ eviews of contemporary art exhibits have appeared in Time Out New York, Art in America, and the Brooklyn Rail.

R My article “The Goo of Paint” was published in the June/July 2016 issue of Modern Painters. My essay on one of my paintings, “Spring Trees,” appeared in Bomb Magazine in March, 2018.

Jennifer Coates | Toxic Halo January 23 - March 1, 2020 Edition of 100

Publisher: © 2020 Jared Linge HIGH NOON GALLERY

Art © 2018 - 2019 Jennifer Coates Text © 2020 Dora Malech

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, without prior permission from the publisher.

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cover (detail): Wolf Woman with Birds, 2019, colored pencil and gouache on paper, 11” x 14”