Jonathan Syme
Field conditions
Jonathan Syme
Field Conditions
Extended through August 8th, 2026
Portraits, especially self-portraits, are elusive at best. Yet, every painting is, in some way, just that.
These paintings are made with the intention of reflection. They present as a version of portrait, a locating of the self within a greater context. The title Field Conditions refers to a state of relation. The field is not a place but a condition -- a living continuum in which every element exists through its connection to another.
The self too, is a thread within this exchange, part of a greater whole. That whole may be considered as a landscape and therefore a portrait amongst a field of many others. Still individual, yet, tied inextricably to the larger fabric. We call out in the hopes of a response. Perhaps, the modality of abstraction is uniquely suited to describing our individuality within the mosaic of being, gesturing, at times wildly, an attempt to make a declaration of self, to be heard and seen.
Built through accumulation, response, and revision, the works emerge through dense layers of pigment. Communities of color gather, disperse, intersect, and collide, forming shapes that suggest flowers, root systems, weather, horizons, and unseen terrains. These forms remain fluid, suspended between becoming and undoing. Throughout the paintings, the microscopic and cosmic reflect one another, as cellular structures echo the celestial, revealing shared rhythms and underlying connections.
Ultimately, the paintings offer a meditation on presenting a visual depiction of human experience, connection and our search for understanding within a world that is at once intimate and immeasurable.