Jowita Wyszomirska: Nearshore Light

On View March 6th - April 24th, 2021

gallery neptune & brown is pleased to present a new body of work by artist Jowita Wyszomirska. This new series of drawings with cyanotypes entitled NEARSHORE LIGHT was originally begun on the oceanfront in Montauk, NY, while she was in residency at the Andy Warhol Preserve and Nature Conservancy. She continued the project working closer to home in the waters of Cape Henlopen in Delaware. Combining paper, water, light, sand, seaweed and grass, Jowita advanced her climate-based work inspired by, and including, nature in her process.

The base of the cyanotypes was made by plunging pre-coated light-sensitive paper into the water where the salt, sand, and seaweed washed over it. This process creates patterns and textures imprinted on the paper while the sunlight colors surfaces in various shades of brilliant blues. Surrendering to chance, some of the luminous shapes evoke geologic formations or the crest of a wave. The forms are not completely recognizable but one does feel emersed below the sea. Once the sheet is dry Jowita then works with maps of wind and currents to draw movement and pattern on top of the cyanotype. The evocative blue hues entice us into an underwater space layered with abstract marks and shapes which create fluidity-- reflecting the ever-changing conflicts threatening our natural environment.

By referencing the sea, geologic forms, wind, and weather patterns, Jowita’s work continues to examine global climate change, emphasizing the threat of rising seas from melting ice caps. By infusing the paper with the ocean water and permeating it with sunlight, every piece reminds us of the reality of the current global climate crisis but also the majesty of our oceans.