About the Exhibit - Sowing a Seed in a Field Made of Ash
Blair Whiteford’s exhibit, Sowing a Seed in a Field Made of Ash, is on view at Jack Barrett Gallery from January 15th - February 28th, 2021.
The exhibit’s title speaks to how one can differentiate oneself in an already saturated market or field. Whiteford is specifically referencing painting. I’m sure this is a common thought that artists have fresh out of school (like Whiteford), who are thirsty to prove themselves and find their signature style and identity.
“How can an individual make something sprout when the whole field is already planted, grown, withered and decayed?” (source)
Whiteford takes a common path, characteristic of artists like Adrian Ghenie who look to the past to find inspiration for the future. Blair’s paintings are influenced by paintings of the European Renaissance, and more specifically those depicting religious iconography.
“Whiteford reimagines devotional figures, bowed and twisted in agony or adoration of the divine. Quasi-human forms kneel before judgment or rise up in ecstasy and ascension...Whiteford’s protagonists are tormented by the problems of a ruinous near future.” (source)
“Whiteford mirrors the juxtaposition between future and past with the tension he creates on the canvas.” (source)
Video of the Exhibit
To see a walkthrough of the exhibit, skip ahead to 2:11 in the video below.
About the Artist - Blair Whiteford
Blair Whiteford received his BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design, and his MFA from Yale in 2019.
Despite only recently graduating he’s already had a handful of solo and group shows. In his work, he creates large-scale acrylic and oil on canvas paintings.
