Wschód is pleased to present The Bony Orbit, an exhibition of works of the Los Angeles-based artist J. Parker Valentine.

John Baldessari said that when looking at two things, we ought not look precisely at them, but between them, as it is that space that is very important. Exactly that thought emerges in my mind when observing J. Parker Valentine’s works – uncanny and sharp drawings, collages and sculptures, which simultaneously convey a strong feeling of intimacy.

The inventive diversity of the artist’s oeuvre is grounded in a drawing-oriented narration – it forms the base for Valentine, creating endless possibilities for blending abstraction and narrative, handmade and found materials, and experimenting with tone and texture. While carving, editing, ripping, soaking, drawing, marking, Valentine consistently undermines any suggestion of predictability. The works are irregular, dense, compelling, sometimes full of holes or unusually shaped paper forms. It is precisely that intensity and disparate rhythm that creates a portal – a dynamic entry to a multitude of references – movement, spatiality, and a notion of gravity….The systematic repetition of figures, shapes and forms brings out the choreographic motion in the space, however concrete images seem to have vanished or blend into this inscrutable fluid state of becoming. Circulating through the Valentine’s works one can achieve a state of balance experiencing the chaotic, asymmetrical and predominantly chromatic tonality with discreet touches of color – it can also point toward the artist’s refined awareness of structure, rhythm, and weight. J. Parker Valentine calls gravity “a glue of our world” and situates it in the centre of the creation process – it is what guides her hand’s movement and activity in gestural strokes layered on unusually shaped materials.

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J. Parker Valentine (b. 1980) is an artist based in Los Angeles. Her works have been exhibited at KRIEG, Hasselt (BE); Galerie Max Mayer, Dusseldorf (DE); Barbara Gladstone Gallery, Brussels (BE); The Juan & Patricia Vergez Collection, Buenos Aires (AR); Park View, Los Angeles (USA); Langen Foundation, Neuss (DE); Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit (USA); 1857, Oslo (NO); Misako & Rosen, Tokyo (JP); Peep-Hole, Milan (IT); Artpace, San Antonio (TX); Museo Marino Marini, Florence (IT); Contemporary Austin (TX); and Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (MO), among others.