Elsewhere

Susan Inglett Gallery is pleased to present Elsewhere , a solo exhibition by Martha Jackson Jarvis. A continuation of Jarvis’ ongoing Fire and Ice series, Elsewhere explores polarity and the tension between opposing natural forces - extremes of energy, transformation, and elemental power. Jarvis seeks to understand how these forces exist in balance and nature’s ability to shape both material and experience. This new body of work marks the artist’s deeper engagement with time, and its capacity to accumulate, compress, and leave a trace. The works reflect a growing interest in layered processes and the subtle evidence of forces that act over time. A central figure in Jarvis’ practice is the mandala, which she views as a fulcrum, an organizing center where energy gathers and radiates outward. The mandala is both a structure and a symbol that holds meaning, offering a space of reflection, balance, and movement. Jarvis sees the new work as a further exploration of her signature material complexity, the mandala specifically allowing for a distillation of her visual language: The circular forms are powerful yet simple, radiating energy and presence in their restraint. These are offset by the emotive immediacy of the abstracted shapes, affirming the thematic significance of equilibrium, tension, and balance. An unyielding process ultimately drives Jarvis’ work–sustained physical engagement, disciplined labor, and ongoing research. “I’m especially interested in the act of making itself: movement, the exploration of materials, and their innate properties. The hand becomes a record of action, revealing new possibilities through process and discovery.” —Martha Jackson Jarvis Martha Jackson Jarvis (b. 1952) explores form, structure, and scale through a multi-media practice consisting of mosaic and paint to earthen, sculptural materials such as stone, copper, and sand. Jarvis’ multifarious practice challenges the viewer to find the extraordinary in our cultural and physical environments. Her works conjure themes of ritual and repetitive action and are made in reverence to the cycles of renewal, degradation, and transformation. Growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Philadelphia, she now lives and works in Washington, D.C. Receiving a BFA from Temple University, and an MFA from Antioch University, Jarvis’ work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the United States and abroad, including a survey show at the Baltimore Museum of Art (2023), and inclusion in exhibitions at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (1996); the Studio Museum of Harlem, NY (1993), Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, N.C. (1990), Anacostia Museum in Washington, D.C. (1987) and the Tretyakov Gallery Moscow, U.S.S.R. (1991). Work by Jarvis is currently on view in She Speaks at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum, Annapolis, MD. Jarvis has received numerous awards, including a Creative Capital Grant, a Virginia Groot Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and the Lila Wallace Arts International Travel Grant. She received the James A Porter Colloquium Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. Her work can be found in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia African American Museum. Public commissions can be found at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA; the Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA; the Fannie Mae Corporation, Washington, DC; and the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, among others.

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