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Jason Nemec | Balance, 2024

Currency:USD Category:Art / Medium - Wood Start Price:NA
Jason Nemec | Balance, 2024
Jason Nemec | Burnt Hills, New York
Balance, 2024
Ash, maple, pigment, shellac, wax
5.9 x 5.5 x 4.8 inches | 14.9 x 14 x 12.1 cm

This piece began with play around Buddhist concepts of balance. Here, balance comes from the duality of opposite but interconnected forces: yin representing cold/silence/darkness, and yang, representing heat/activity/light. This piece hosts a cold, silent void (represented here by the Zen Buddhist symbol for void or aether) surrounded by structured marks that are “drawn” by the growth rings of an ash tree gradually dying from the effects of the emerald ash borer. The marks of the artist faithfully follow the tree’s journey. The larger form leans forward revealing its core, and in doing so, balances precariously on tiny legs.

About:
I am driven to create by an interest to explore the mystery and complexity of natural materials. Through my work, I try to transform these materials into objects that tell their own timeless story of the forces, constraints and opportunities, which led to our delicately structured Universe. The forms and surfaces I create are process-driven and intuitive. Ideas come from diving in and practicing curiosity, asking questions, and being a good observer of what comes from each action. I look for opportunities to collaborate, pivot and play. I look for opportunities to get the evidence of my hands off of the work and let the materials speak for themselves. I see my role as more like that of a coach, with the materials being the performer. I organize them, orient them, coax a performance out of them, and put them on stage.

@jason_nemec jasonnemec.com