From his studio in Clarksville, Tennessee, Jonathan Edelhuber invokes canonical art historical references through his stylizations of the human face. From templates of a toothy, bright-eyed visage in extreme close-up or a cross section of laughing skull, Edelhuber summons the grief and joy in our complicated, universal brotherhood with its careworn optimism. In his population of memento mori, we lose sight of mortal reminders and concentrate instead on the joyous variety of gesture, color and touch in each individual work. Like humanity, they are generous and complex, bursting with possibility.

“When making these faces and skulls I thought a lot about what humans are— how we’re all the same, but so different. The biblical creation story was constantly on my mind because that’s what I know. Not just the idea of the physical man and woman being made but the psychological and emotional aspects of humans. God must have the same dark humors we have, the same love we have, possibly the same fears in a way. Maybe even the same fear of how we handle our fears. There’s also our need to create which is a complete mystery to me since we’re the only “animals” that feel this pull. I want people to think about what we are and even though we’re all so different, we’re all essentially alike.”

This is the gallery’s third solo presentation with Jonathan Edelhuber and his debut solo exhibition in New York City. An Arkansas native, he received his BFA from Harding University and has exhibited internationally.