“Sweet and Hard” at Thierry Goldberg Gallery

Thierry Goldberg Gallery is pleased to present Sweet and Hard, the first New York solo exhibition of Jonathan Lyndon Chase. The show opens on July 7th with a reception from 6 to 8 and will run through August 5th.

Chase’s figurative paintings depict young men in honest states of repose, embrace, and intimacy. His artistic style is an especially physical one. Paintings are explored and evolve through touch. The strength, heaviness, and weight of a line necessitates a sensitivity of hand and mirrors a delicate caress or stroke.

Though occasionally in beds or gardens, Chase’s characters are presented in ambiguous places that exist outside of recognizable space, flanked by broad swaths of color. Contorted figures and fractured compositions segue seamlessly between historical and contemporary styles and references, and are often interlaced with elements of art seen out of doors; surreptitious spray paint and innocent chalk drawings.

Inspired by the ‘90s culture in which he grew up, Chase incorporates features of hip-hop fashion in his work. Men are frequently shown solely in Nike high-tops; fully exposed except for a fitted hat and sneakers on top and bottom, respectively.

Boldly representing the complex narratives of black queer life, Chase portrays a form of self-expression that does not revolve around the distinctly masculine or feminine, and questions presently constructed foundations of identity.