West Philadelphia Born and Raised by Jonathan Lyndon Chase
December 13, 2021 through February 12, 2022
Flatbush and Church Avenues, Prospect Lefferts, Brooklyn
Shandaken Projects is pleased to announce the exhibition of West Philadelphia Born and Raised (detail) by Jonathan Lyndon Chase, at Flatbush and Church Avenues, Prospect Lefferts, Brooklyn.
Jonathan Lyndon Chase is an interdisciplinary artist who works in painting, video, sound and sculpture to depict queer black love and community amidst the backdrop of urban and domestic spaces. Chase’s figures hang in various forms of articulation—intertwined with domestic markers of a kitchen or a bedroom and tethered by pop and street signage to blend emotional and physical, internal and external states of being. Rendered through layers of bright, visceral paint, makeup, foam, and glitter, these compositions challenge and subvert canonical misrepresentation and exclusion of the black body.
Chase writes: "Bodies are our first homes. We move from our inherent homes to others that we come to know and love as we explore what life has in store for us and how we want to go about this world. This painting is a combination of interior and exterior—private and public spaces—that simultaneously illustrates the human body and the constructive materials for our dwellings. Existing in a society that often seeks to erase, colonize, poison, and keep us away from our true potential, it is important to remember that our bodies and our lives are our own. The composition is a compound space—the windows protect a space of love, a space of the body, and they also let moonlight in and create a precious view from the inside. Our desire and love are real and should continue to exist beyond just our safe spaces."
The exhibition of West Philadelphia Born and Raised (detail) is part of Shandaken: 14x48, an annual open call request for proposals by emerging and mid-career artists to exhibit artwork on billboards throughout New York City. The program was inaugurated in 2020 with 1776 by Josh Kline, and will continue in spring 2022 with a work by Acacia Marable. To be notified when the request for proposals for the 2022-23 season opens, please sign up for Shandaken's mailing list.
Jonathan Lyndon Chase has held recent solo exhibitions at venues including Company Gallery in New York and the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. Chase’s work has been also been featured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pond Society (solo), Shanghai; LSU Museum of Art (solo), Baton Rouge; the Rubell Foundation, Miami; Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke; California African American Museum, Los Angeles; Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia; The Bunker, Collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody, Palm Beach and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art, Philadelphia. Their work is included in numerous private and public collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Walker Art Center, ICA Miami, High Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Bronx Museum, Rubell Family Collection, Buxton Contemporary Art Museum, The Wedge Collection, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and Woodmere Museum of Art. Chase was born in 1989 in Philadelphia, PA where they currently live and work.