Anna Erickson Presents Jonathan Casella at Untitled Art Miami 2021
Anna Erickson Presents exhibited at Untitled Miami 2021, with a solo presentation of new works by LA-based artist Jonathan Casella.
Jonathan paints life-sized abstractions of layered stars—shapes that connote a physicality reminiscent of figuration. Still, these “doublestars” are intended as pure geometry, brought to life by the artist’s use of texture, color, scale and density.
“The Doublestars came from my desire to create a body of work that dealt with humanity without dealing with direct representation,” Jonathan explains. “The form of the doublestar is the five pointed star paired with its inverted self. I see this as a literal symbol of body and spirit—whatever that may be.”
The artist understands the “doublestar” as an embodiment of the ideal form—where body and soul are in unison. His paintings seek a universal and inclusive portrayal of this concept, free of objective representation. For the artist, they also function “as repetitious forms, serving as vessels of expression and visual experimentation—while periodically diverting and morphing from the initial structure—thereby existing as both symbols and formal devices.”
Despite their conceptual basis, there is a playfulness to these paintings—a “pop sensibility” that the artist utilizes to maximize the visual field. Hyper-contemporary neon colors and shifting patterns imbue each composition with a sense of movement—showing the rhythm, meter, and the “dance of life.”
“My work is a personal investigation and rearticulation of visual language,” the artist states. “I am interested in the relationships we have with color, pattern, form, and how that affects—and is affected by—our perception. I see my approach to painting as an argot of non representation, one that uses the familiar nature—and the starkness of color, shape, and pattern—to express the inarticulable, both inherent and unknown.”
Influenced by the processes of hard-edged abstraction, Jonathan’s work is also inspired by the assemblage-based practice of collage, especially its prerequisite demand for both “labor and intention,” in the artist’s words. Ultimately, the Doublestar paintings are celebrations of an active life—its momentum and complexity—rendered in the universal language of sacred geometry.
Jonathan Casella was born in Houston, Texas and is currently based in Southern California. He studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and at San Francisco State University. His work has been exhibited at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston; Art Busan in Korea; M+B, Los Angeles; Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami; and in additional venues across the United States, from New York to Portland.