may 25 - June 30, 2024
opening reception: sat., May 25, 5:30-8pm
closing reception: sunday, June 30, 4-7pm

a connected line

a plus/space exhibition by

jess frederick

Jess Frederick is fascinated by what we can know in a gaze, how connection is silently communicated and privately understood by the viewer. She is interested in the complex characters of living beings and the connections we share with the world around us. She wants to visually articulate the unspoken yet meaningful exchanges between all living and nonliving things.   

Frederick’s work frequently showcases subjects whose outward stare or postural gestures engage the viewer in an off-kilter way, emphasizing the unsettled wonder of these non-verbal exchanges. They can suggest glimpses of empathy, tension, and calm.  

In her work Frederick wants to illuminate these ephemeral exchanges without imposing control, offering the viewer opportunities for pause, contemplation, imagination, and most importantly connection. For the artist, this is the most remarkable gift of art.
By leaning in to the uncertainty of these exchanges, we open ourselves up to an opportunity to reflection, introspection, and understanding.  

As a self-taught artist, Frederick takes pride in blurring the lines between paintings and drawings. She loves line and the psychological power of marks. She works in acrylic, charcoal, pastel, ink, and cut paper. She doesn’t make preliminary studies: she begins with an idea and immediately move to express it. Frederick enjoys the ability of these continuous adjustments to surprise. She layers a web of energetic lines from which the essence of my subjects emerges. She often uses hot water to then deface the surface and reveal ghosts of underpainting. Then, simplifies and focuses the forms to enhance the details. The end is a layered work poised between chaos and calm.

Artist Bio:

Jess Frederick is a native New Yorker who innately understands its frenetic pace and extraordinary textures. Born in Brooklyn and raised on the slippery, glitter-dusted cobblestones of the 1990s Meatpacking District, Jess returned to Brooklyn’s Crown Heights shortly after 2001. 
Foregoing a traditional art school education, Jess graduated in 1997 from Iowa’s Grinnell College with a BA in the Humanities.  It was an act of New York serendipity that offered her first exhibition. This exhibit redefined the role of art in Jess’s life and started her on the artistic path. Jess focuses on creative collaborations in fashion, self-produced exhibitions, and private commissions. Exhibitions include KODA at St. Ann’s Church and previous and upcoming shows at Five Myles.

GALLERY HOURS:

Thursday - Sunday, 1 - 6pm, or by appointment.

DIRECTIONS:

Take 2, 3, or 4 trains to Franklin Avenue. Walk two blocks against the traffic on Franklin. Walk ¾ block to 558 St. Johns Place. FiveMyles is within easy walking distance from the Brooklyn Museum.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

FiveMyles is in part supported by the New York State Council for the Arts, Public Funds from the New York City Dept. of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Council Member Crystal Hudson, The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, the Joseph Robert Foundation, and the William Talbott Hillman Foundation.