Jaq Chartier SubOptic

September 5 to October 12, 2024
Artist’s Opening, Thursday, September 5, 6 to 8PM

IMAGES FROM THE EXHIBITION

Known for her Testing series of paintings which were inspired by scientific images like gel electrophoresis, Jaq Chartier has also found another alternate body of work slowly coalescing in her studio—work that springs from her interest in landscape, the natural sciences (especially biology), maps of the earth, weather and storms.

Beginning with a solo show this past spring in Portland, titled Ultra Marine: New Paintings and Drawings About the Sea, Jaq Chartier | SubOptic, titled SubOptic, Jaq has been focusing on coral reefs. In this new work, the forms reflect the clustered patterns of sea life in reefs, while the colors—some of which will actually fade over time—reference the problem of mass coral bleaching, where corals die due to a range of environmental stressors, especially increased acidity and water temperature. The painting Core Sample is based on X-rays of corals, images which help scientists evaluate changes in the growth and composition of reefs over time.

While this newer work is a departure from the Testing series, it remains connected to Jaq's continued exploration of the phenomena of materials, and fuses her interest in science with elements of color field painting, land art, process art, and minimalism. She is discovering new visual and investigative inspiration in other art and science unions, such as the early cyanotypes of British algae and seaweed by mid-nineteenth century artist Anna Atkins, an early photographer and botanist. The artist continues to develop her own custom formulas of deeply saturated inks, stains, and dyes for use in these alternate paintings and drawings. The ideas of impermanence and change developed in the Testing series are put to good use in paintings which reflect on what’s happening to our planet.

Jaq's work has been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, and Ahlen, Germany. Her work was also included in the travelling exhibition Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics, which was organized by the Henry Gallery of Art, Seattle; and the solo show Testing at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her paintings have been included in several group shows at Platform. This is her third solo exhibition at the gallery.

Image: Core Sample, 2013, stains, dyes, acrylic on panel, 24 x 18 inches