Tribeca, New York
Jeff Wallace
To From
Jane Lombard GalleryJLG Projects presents: Jeff Wallace To From. New York-based artist Jeff Wallace uses vintage books as his medium, transforming them, cover to cover, into testaments of memory and time. Using pigmented and hand-pressed pulp, the works in To From reshape the printed page into intricate floral still lifes. His Vanitas-like arrangements possess a richness resonant of black and white photography. There is a sense of depth and dimension derived from tonal qualities that range from velvety blacks to creamy white hues. The hand-wrought paper accentuates these characteristics, its soft and porous texture allowing for a chiaroscuro-esque interplay between light and shadow. Interested in the act of repurposing, Wallace's self-taught process reflects that of his subject matter; the material in itself undergoes a natural course of transformation and renewal. The works in To From call attention to the symbolism of flowers, reflecting upon their ephemeral qualities while capturing the dual nature of their purpose from celebration to remembrance. Similar to the forgotten pages they are made from, the floral arrangements become portraits, capturing fleeting moments that are at once personal yet openly read. Jeff Wallace (b. 1963, Syracuse, NY) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, and Lecce, Italy. His work imbues personal experience and memory through the transformation of books and ephemera. Ebbing between portraits, collages, sculptures, and mixed media works, Wallace explores a process by which stories overlap, fade, or are erased over time. He has exhibited at Cristin Tierney Gallery, New York, NY; Rick Wester Fine Arts, New York, NY; Main Window Dumbo, Brooklyn, NY; Lichtundfire Gallery, New York, NY; Spring Break at Moynihan Station, New York, NY; DFN Projects, New York, NY; Craven Contemporary, Kent, CT; and Swenson Gallery, Miami, FL. Wallace has been a Fellow at VCCA (Virginia Center for the Creative Arts); and has been granted numerous residencies, including at the Artist and Scholars Program at the American Academy in Rome (Italy); the Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT; and Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY. In addition to his studio practice, Wallace is a curator at Main Window, Brooklyn, NY.