VIS.AGE featuring Scott Jeffries SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO BREAK TO BECOME WHOLE : What is the purpose of an art exhibition? “As a curator who works primarily on solo exhibitions with emerging artists, I see the purpose of the exhibition as a pivotal moment, an opportunity for an artist to understand the progression of their practice, to connect with community. It allows for public critique, celebration, and connection. I think artists often push towards that solo exhibition moment, knowing the moment it marks throughout their careers, and that push is necessary. But from my perspective, the work that follows their solo exhibition is often more interesting. It is after this release, presentation, and movement from studio practice into public space in a high stakes context that artists are able to grow.
Noor Blazekovic, Cover: Mural Face Mixed Media Acrylic, Oil stick and Crayon on Brown Paper- 58x60 inches- 2015
THE MIAMI DADE COLLEGE HIALEAH CAMPUS CULTURAL CENTER The Miami Dade College- Hialeah Campus it is a pluralistic space where autonomous perspectives can enter into dialogue and debate with one another. The Miami Dade College Hialeah Campus- Cultural Center was originally established with the support of a Knight Arts Challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in 2015. The center’s mission is to celebrate the arts and culture of the Hialeah and MDC community by providing opportunities for students and visitors to interact with innovative and unique multi-disciplinary exhibitions. https://www.mdc.edu/hialeah/
SCOTT JEFFRIES: A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE What does Jeffries painting about different faces mean? We are aware of some aspects. Others are lost in our subconscious. They are hidden in the ‘Shadow’ of our individual egos and manifest themselves, when we expect them the least- like when we are helpless, or desperate. These aspects somehow fit in with one other and make up our personality which almost shows many faces at te same time.The other potential meaning is that, the multiple faces, are the many ways in which the world around us sees us. A person who is promicuous to one is a chaste to another. This way, the true face of the person stays imperceptible. A third meaning may be that, we evolve through our interactions with others. Each person leaves us with something new. And we incorporate these bits as a part of our own personality. So we end up being multi-faceted.
Earth Head - Acrylic on Needlepoint- 24x24 inches- 2019
SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO BREAK TO BECOME WHOLE: Scott Jeffries was born in New York city in 1967. He is a self-taught, emerging contemporary artist living and working in Highland Beach, Florida. Scott’s biography includes life as a Division I All-American Athlete to a Litigation attorney in Philadelphia. He moved to Florida in 2006 and his artistic life began to flourish and grow. In 2016 he was named one of the Top Ten visual artist in Palm Beach by the New Times. His work is highly collected and been exhibited nationally. He is currently a resident artist at Zero Empty Spaces Studio in Boca Raton, Florida Scott’s painting is an irreverent expression of his sub-conscience, an invitation into his brain-a place where space and form are imagined from a decidedly different angle. Each piece doesn’t drown in it’s own abstract principles. Scott has always had a vivid imagination and been doodling since he was a kid and now an adult, he has not found any good reason to stop. The fact that others find some joy in his work is an absolute blessing and is something that he does not take for granted and is completely grateful. His work is not afraid to be outside the lines. The art is anchored in the sometimes comedic, www.scottyjart.com
Headtrospective- Acrylic on Paper -10 x 7 feet- Acrylic on Paper
Leaving Home, Acrylic Ceramic paintings, variable dimensions , 2021
Rain... Rain is nourishment for the earth and is known as the water of life. Rain takes many forms and can be anything from a gentle sprinkling and light watering of the earth, up to a torrid downpour and possible flooding; life giving on one hand and potentially death dealing on the other. Rain is a very serious affair, especially wherever water is scarce and/or crops are growing. A wonderful, (surviving) example of this seriousness is the world famous Native American rain dances, created to induce rain. Rain is a symbol for tears, sorrow, anger, cleansing, renewal, forgiveness and more -- usually on a heavenly, worldly or very large sort of personal scale. This is not a visual symbol for small sorrows or everyday events.
www.scottyjart.com
Raindrops -Acrylic on Canvas - 65 x 87 inches - , 2019
Broken: Everybody Breaks. But Some of Us Grow Stronger. You know what I’m talking about. It’s not your picture-perfect self that makes you who you are. It’s all the shadows and shades of grey mixed in with light and warm pockets of wonderfulness that present the fullness of you. Courage lives in those spaces inside ourselves that Hemingway called broken. The difference between those who become a victim of their lives and those who step up to the challenges that life offers them is the choice to enter the arena full out. This is the message of Scott Jeffries work at large, be willing to be vulnerable, to keep yourself open despite the knocks life has served us. Wanting not only to feel the length of my life, but to feel the width and the depth of it too. The Artist’s wants to share the richness of his life experiences because the profound connection is what he is here to share. One thing is for certain: we don’t come out of this life alive. We might as well live fiercely with all that we have and with all that we are. Courage will get us to those places yet unimagined. I want to go there. Do you?
Broken - Acrylic Ceramic painting- Variable Dimensions , 2021
Infinity -Mural: Acrylic on Canvas - 5 x18 Feet, 2021
Inside the Artist’s Mind: Engaging with art is not simply a solitary event. The arts and culture represent one of the few areas in our society where people can truly come together to share an experience even if they see the world in radically different ways. The important thing is not that we agree about the experience that we share, but that we consider it worthwhile sharing an experience at all. Scott Jeffries ongoing faces series, delves into the world of portraiture, highlighting contemporary examples exploring THE HUMAN FACE -The face is perhaps the most powerful “channel” of nonverbal communication. We “encode” messages in our own facial expressions, and we simultaneously “decode” the faces of the people around us. First, it represents the juxtaposition or uneven overlapping of different aspects of our personalities.
Lips- Acrylic on Canvas- 75 x75 inches -2020
Potential and Joy - Acrylic on cutted Wood bifold panels -7 ft tall - 2021
Natural Beauty, acrylic on linen, 36 x 24 inches, 2017
Mrs. Potts - Acrylic Ceramic painting- Variable Dimensions ,
Detail- Infinity -Acrylic on Canvas. 60x 18 feet -2021
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” ~George Bernard Shaw
Vis.age: Portraits of exhibition guests.
Film and Photograpy :Steven Celi We would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to Steven Celi for his unconditional support and contribution documenting every step of the develpment and production of the VIS.AGE exhibition. Thank you!
We would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to Alejandro Mendoza for his curatorial support, the motivation furthering Scotts Jeffries career, for the creation of the new sculptures, and for the invaluable academic support to the exhibition. Without his support, this exhibition would not be possible. Thank you!
Noor Blazekovic | Curator Museography | Alejandro Mendoza Photography | Steven Celi
Mrs. Potts - Acrylic C
Variable Dimensions
VIS·.AGE An Exhibition Curated by Noor Blazekovic Featuring Scott Jeffries
FEBRUARY, 2021
Hialeah Campus
Chip - Acrylic Ceramic painting- Variable Dimensions, 2021