Contributed by Millree Hughes / Painters in their twenties and thirties, particularly those whose work is figuration bordering on abstraction and somewhat gestural, may be trying to do too much. Too often it features too many colors, too many forms, too much of everything. It’s hard not to sympathize. Such artists have grown up in a time when communication occurs in morphing, moving pictures at high speed, and when consumer culture assaults mass consciousness. For some, the most honest response is to be overwhelmed and paint accordingly. Jadé Fadojutimi, whose enigmatically titled solo show “Dwelve: A Goosebump in Memory” is at Gagosian, sees another way.
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She begins with strong, sometimes fluorescent, ground. Next come waves of thick paint, scraped back with a large metal spackle knife, for larger canvases affixed to the end of a pole. This forms malachite-like whorls, clouds, and scoops. Then come fast, wild lines in oil pastel and finally impasto globs, opaque fields of color, and large liquescent strokes. Fadojutimi can reorder or interleave these steps in pursuit of the image. But none of her huge, often magnificent paintings look at all overworked. Although Fadojutimi’s palette is gloriously equatorial – her lineage is Nigerian – she cites Japanese anime as her greatest influence. It shows. Anime isolates action in still frames, energizing it with splashes of color. As Fadojutimi slides her brush to a halt among garlands and shattered kanji marks, lit paths and bunches of hothouse flowers emerge.
Where did she find them? Even in a studio in Vétheuil, with the gardens of Giverny close, Joan Mitchell still had to dig deep inside herself for imagery. Those of Fadojutimi’s generation can instantly conjure pictures in their hands of just about anything to see how they will react. One gorgeous piece evokes a hydrangea bush lit in an all-night rave. With the knife Fadojutimi has made large petals in turquoise and glowing scarlet, suggesting the image’s iPhone origin. Perhaps her most significant achievement is that despite the omnipresent danger of digital overload, she never goes too far. If she bolts down a wormhole, she comes back with the Silver Crystal.
“Jadé Fadojutimi – Dwelve: A Goosebump in Memory,” Gagosian, 522 West 21st Street, New York, NY. Through December 21, 2024.
About the author: Millree Hughes is a New York-based digital artist.
