Half Pop, Half Not: Bathe Yourself in Vibrant Colors at Two Half Gallery Art Shows

Words by Mo Kelly Nolan, photography by Maurice Narcis

We began the first half of the Artist’s Opening viewing work at only one half of Half Gallery, The Annex. (halfgallery.com / halfgallery.com/annex) Initially, I wondered if Young Lee had completely transformed her style. Turns out we had stumbled into a show by vcxz (instagram: @jinjeong_art). 

I was content to stare at Jeong’s work for close to an hour. I heard a classic New Yorker loudly declare in the small space, “Where is Young?” Good question. Although, I was not moving. I was “grounded” as Jeong’s show is titled, feeling the noise of the colors drench me warmly.

Jin Jeong’s paintings are gorgeous swirls with smooth references to New Mexico’s Desert Transcendentalist scene, particularly O’Keefe, yet completely her own. Abstract, groovy, moving color gracefully depicts unreal natural scenes. No. I was not tripping. Jeong's works are wild views of the powerful natural world we inhabit and nature’s own vivid graceful lines.

I got to speak with her briefly. She paints layers and layers with acrylics and many more layers with oil paint. No wonder her work pops. Over linen canvases are enticing, sensual, elaborate nature scenes. This woman is beautiful and mad. She doesn’t like visible brush strokes. “I mean you gotta have brush strokes,” she confessed with a grin. Who doesn’t? I thought. Isn’t that why paintings are so cherished? “So, each piece takes forever to complete?” I asked, dumbfounded by her process. Yup! Wow. Dedication, say I. But there was more. She doesn’t go straight to work. She told me how she examines her mood, rests in it while contemplating her work, only to compose when she feels ready. She is not afraid to make beautiful art, always a focus on the future viewer, a mindset I appreciate.

Grounded her signature work for this show, has one light smudge of paint that could be mistaken for a gaffe. I wish I’d asked her about that. And the bits of canvas she’d carefully leave untouched in many works. That one tiny smudge seemed so incongruous with the cavernous ocean scene of colorful rolling waters rising to gravity defying waves just about to crash in a flood of color and light. Carefully composed, perspectives of perhaps a land mass outcropping of where I’d stand to witness this beauty. Of course, I’m there with Professor Dumbledore, safe from the powerful ocean.

Jeong’s mostly works in medium scale linen canvas. I was enthralled by a smaller piece, Untitled, that I imagined was a long highway through the mind of a brown haired woman. This terracotta scene was, of course, a depiction of Utah's National Archway, simple and stunning. Another one of her smaller works named Stellar depicts natural stone formations in her signature vivid colors overlooking the ground far below.

With less than a dozen works on display, I had to be dragged out when our intrepid photographer found out that the main gallery was on the corner of 4th St and Avenue B. Like many other visitors, the man who was looking for Young Lee before had gone from one half gallery of Half Gallery and returned to the annex. Had he found Young Lee’s show yet? “Oh it's just down the block,” he seemed to say by gesticulating with his arms toward Avenue B. We raced to the corner to catch the last of Young Lee’s opening reception for her show, Night Studio. (Young Lee’s Instagram: ​​@y.lee_art)

The main Gallery is not pint sized, like the Annex. It’s a nice sized venue showing over 2 dozen enormous works by Ms. Lee, another emerging artist. She may be Korean-American, like Ms. Jeong, but that's where their similarities end, although an exception can be made  referring to the delightful pops of color that saturate both shows. Lee is a gentle artist who renders delicate brushwork on a large scale, featuring herself as you, the viewer. Welcome to her world. Perhaps she’s an introvert, like her art. She reluctantly posed for a photo with the gallery owner, Bill Powers. He appeared energized by his artists and seemingly protective of Ms. Lee, a curator with a daddy vibe.

Lee’s work has a childlike appeal, though perhaps not any child you’ve known. This “child” with adult concerns infused with anxiety, curiosity and stress is depicted by Lee as a cartoon character with paw-like hands texting on a cell phone with only a slim line to indicate pursed lips. This self portrait is of a nervous, slightly fearsome, child who chose to make art as a career choice. This character seems to be stuck in an adult world. Don’t we all want to retreat into a cartoon character’s world? I wanna be a child again. “Why can’t I?” as I imagine myself petulantly stomping my feet.

Each painting is populated by Dali-like clocks, sharpened pencils, polaroids, squared-off paintbrushes, an ever-present coffee mug and many more carefully drawn objects from her studio plus peeping eye balls and other pop references that adds to the fear factor of her work. One object is a lonely sock, paint-splattered or nervously peeping out the window. I am that sock. Perhaps lost, maybe a little damaged. Her audience finds themselves in her world which soon becomes our own.

Young expresses the pain of a broken pencil with such intensity, you may forgive yourself if you forget it’s only a pencil. She lends contour and context to her work by geometric divisions of shadow and light. Sometimes a light bulb is visible, sometimes not. It’s a strange yet ordinary world she inhabits.

Yes, both Jeong and Lee are fresh-pressed masters of their craft. Time to experience new work. It’s what we’ve been waiting for. Let the media keep churning out articles about how NYC is dead. Like Warhol, we’ll weigh all the press, good and bad, to see how we are doing. New artists inspire us to look to the past while giving us a glimpse of what is to come.

When you go to halfgallery.com, under the artist’s name and before the bio is something that reads, “Click HERE for PDF.” This will bring you to a site that details the shows. See the works in two dimensions. Of course nothing can beat living art, layers of paint and careful brushstrokes, giving the works depth and life. Who doesn’t love a beautiful brushstroke of oil paint? I sure do.