Liam Everett’s abstract mixed-media paintings result from a process of steadfast and repetitious application and erasure, employing non-traditional methods to apply and remove painstakingly developed layers of paint and composition. Inspired by the dynamic alchemy of the natural environment in California, this method makes plain the interactive properties of the substances on the canvas: how they counteract, preserve, or react to one another. In this way, Everett’s investigative procedure—laser-focused on the subtle behavior of his materials—becomes akin to the scientific assaying of chemical and mineral substances in order to determine purity or the limits of stability.

Joseph Hart uses paper as an initial surface that is worked and layered with graphite, collage elements and acrylic paint, then mounted to linen and stretched over the armature of a stretcher frame. The works capture an aggregated harmony that sways between dueling sensations: measured but loose, raging and generous, awkward yet bizarrely graceful—becoming visual allegories for the complexities of life.

Infusing abstraction with more recognizable forms of representation, Reginald Madison’s paintings tempt the viewer’s will to identify forms—perhaps narratives—while scattering into improvisational mark-making. Deeply influenced by jazz and his upbringing in Chicago, Madison is moved by process and driven by instinct. 

The bold gestural work of Uman is shaped by her varied migrations and encounters with cultural heritage. Exuberant, seemingly freestyle markings are influenced by the Arabic calligraphy she studied as a child. Similarly, her distorted self-portraits, and silhouette images of camels, birds and vessels merge abstraction with figuration while reflecting her East African background. Widely traveled and self-trained, Uman’s practice explores gender and cultural fluidity while remaining spiritually engaged and instinctive.

Thank you to all the contributing galleries for their efforts in facilitating Controlled Chaos: Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA for Andrea Marie Breilling, Altman Siegel, CA San Francisco for Liam Everett, Halsey McKay Gallery, East Hampton, NY for Joseph Hart, September Gallery, Kinderhook, NY for Reginald Madison, and Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York, NY for Uman.