Jack Pierson

Jack Pierson’s Five New Pieces are part of a larger body of assemblage work made during quarantine in his Ridgewood, Queens studio. Assemblage is actually not a bad word to describe Pierson’s overall practice of the last 30 years. Obviously the ‘word pieces’ are inherently assemblage, his early verité installation pieces which riveted Soho in the 90’s also could sit comfortably under that heading. For the greater part of his exhibition history, he made use of a signature installation style that placed work up and down the walls and into the corners and usually included at least three mediums, drawing, photography, oftentimes wall painting, as well as floor pieces and in addition to the aforementioned word pieces.

These new works are different however although just as direct and true as we’ve come to expect Pierson’s work to be. As concise and terse as they are lyrical, they are nothing but assorted materials of a life being lived in a studio, merely pinned to the wall in the manner of an exotic insect collector, yet they are compelling in their monumentality and ability to evoke great abstract painting. Pierson has always been adept at producing work that is able to hold opposite and very real emotional responses at the same time. Here we present some new examples of that gift; we hope you will enjoy spending time with them.