Thursday, October 17, 2024 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | Potter Gallery
NCMA Winston-Salem (formerly SECCA) is proud to present Tell Me if the Lovers Are Losers, an exhibition of paintings and drawings by John Brooks, and THERE, an exhibition of textile-based works by Jordan Nassar, on view Oct. 17 through Dec. 29 in the Potter Gallery at NCMA Winston-Salem. The exhibitions are organized by the North Carolina Museum of Art and curated by Jared Ledesma, Curator of 20th-Century Art and Contemporary Art. A dual opening reception with the artists will be held Thursday, Oct. 17 from 6pm to 8pm.
Get Tickets In Advance. Admission is free for members.
"These exhibitions celebrate two dynamic artists, John Brooks and Jordan Nassar, who bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary experience," said curator Jared Ledesma. "John Brooks' first museum show marks a pivotal moment in his career, exploring queer identity and community. Jordan Nassar, with ten new works alongside a monumental piece, presents an elegant synthesis of Palestinian craft, culture, and concept that speaks to the present moment. Together, their work reshapes artistic traditions to create something entirely their own. Devoting the Pottery Gallery to these two exhibitions is exciting, each highlighting the unique vision of these phenomenal artists."
ABOUT TELL ME IF THE LOVERS ARE LOSERS
Tell Me if the Lovers Are Losers presents the work of Los Angeles–based artist John Brooks (b. 1978). The gathering of vigorous paintings, drawings, and their diverse subjects form a conceptual exploration of the nuanced experiences within queer communities. Influenced by the daring art of early-20th-century German expressionists, American poets like Carl Sandburg, and iconic figures such as James Baldwin and Marlene Dietrich, Brooks amplifies the enduring spirit of those who defy societal norms through invigorating forms and contexts.
Growing up in central Kentucky during the 1980s and '90s, Brooks showed an early interest in art but lacked a familial tradition to engage with it. After he made a begrudging attempt at professional golf and completed his studies at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, his path shifted with a move to London in 2005. Immersed in the city's rich artistic heritage, Brooks underwent a transformative period of introspection and creative exploration, fully embracing his intuition as an artist.
Today Brooks creates works that blend his personal history with cultural critique. Resisting a strictly narrative approach, he employs vibrant, expressive brushwork to craft alluring and contemplative compositions wherein historical and contemporary figures appear side by side. This union of temporalities carves a queer space through the disruption of time. Moreover, Brooks highlights his subjects' kinship as part of a queer and rebellious diaspora, while integrating those from diverse backgrounds and experiences to reveal the myriad intersections within.
ABOUT THERE
In his work Jordan Nassar (b. 1985) intricately weaves cultural narratives, personal heritage, and the art of Middle Eastern embroidery. Nassar was born in New York City to a Palestinian father and a Polish American mother, and his ethnicity profoundly shapes his art. Drawn to tatreez, a traditional Palestinian embroidery, he uses this craft to explore the complex interplay between ritual and diasporic life.
In recent years Nassar has created distinctive embroidered designs with the participation of craftswomen in the West Bank. This process, uniting makers across regions but connected by heritage, embodies the concept of diaspora. Nassar's geometric compositions feature traditional patterns, and embedded within them are his impressions of landscapes in imaginative colors. When various embroidered panels are combined, their imagery—which contrasts but also seamlessly blends—reads as a cohesive whole, mirroring elements of hybrid identity.
This exhibition takes its title from a poem by Lebanese American poet and artist Etel Adnan, who explores themes of isolation and marginality in her prose. Featured is Nassar's large-scale Shade of the Cypress, alongside a selection of new work. While Shade of the Cypress was created with craftswomen in Bethlehem, Hebron, and Ramallah, Nassar's latest embroideries were produced solely by him in his New York City studio due to current events in Palestine. Despite these challenges, and perhaps especially at this critical juncture, Nassar's work invites us to reflect on hybrid and diverse landscapes that, through varied perspectives, color combinations, and orientations, encourage meditation on homeland and the formation of selfhood.