Kathryn Markel Fine Arts is pleased to announce Jello Moon, an upcoming exhibition of new paintings by Zuriel Waters. This will be his second solo exhibition with the gallery and will feature his unique shaped and sewn paintings.
Waters takes influence from his surroundings to create paintings which he constructs consecutively. He explains the importance of this as, “uncontained – each piece an iteration of the last, a record of gradual evolution in a species of forms whose needs, desires and limitations dictate to me their own way forward.” The paintings exude an animated presence as if depicting strange figures or unknown creatures. Playful and expressive titles add to the characterization of the work. With these most recent paintings, Waters began enlarging the pieces and exploring horizontal compositions. This transformed them and introduced a sense of place to the abstract forms. In his own words, “I see them as clouds—gestalt landscapes contained within their own borders, demi-gods of the troposphere.” They are at once a living being and landscape.
Waters forms the bouncy, bold abstractions entirely out of sewn fabric and paint. The works are both geometric and fluid as each shape flows into the next creating a lively rhythm within their rounded bodies. Waters utilizes homemade dyes to achieve intensely saturated colors. He describes this ongoing exploration, “working to develop a method for pigment dyeing at home without high heat or chemicals—to fully enmesh color within the material, creating something durable (and potentially even washable) while still using strong, lightfast pigments. I want color to exist as close to the grain as possible.” Though the colors are generally flat, the surfaces of the various fabric substrates offer a consistent texture that adds depth to the vibrant segments. This along with the visible stitching makes his process evident. Cheerful and buoyant, the paintings feel as if they are floating in space.
Zuriel Waters was born in 1984 in Philadelphia, PA, and lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Received an MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2010 and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from San Diego State University in 2007. Has shown work in group exhibitions throughout New York City at galleries such as Underdonk, Safe Gallery, Regina Rex, CANADA, Orgy Park and others and has recently had a solo show at Left Field Gallery in Los Osos, CA.
