Jay Heikes / MATRIX 269

February 14–April 29, 2018

Recent paintings, sculptures, and drawings that offer both a reflection on our cultural moment and a commitment to the material properties of the art object

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Jay Heikes: Zs, 2017; wood, glue, salt, ink; 69 1/2 x 40 x 3 in.; courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen; © Jay Heikes. Photo: Object Studies.
Jay Heikes: Couper l’oeil, 2017; copper, wax, aluminum foil, steel, steel slag, cast bronze, iron; 216 x 216 x 96 in.; courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen. © Jay Heikes. Photo: Object Studies.
Jay Heikes: The Devil Has Left My Building, 2015; pencil and ink on paper; 51 1/8 x 85 in.; courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen. © Jay Heikes. Photo: Object Studies.

Upcoming
Films
Upcoming
Events
Selected
Objects
Past
Films
Past
Events

Selected Exhibition Objects

Drawing

Devil Has Left My Building

Jay Heikes

2015
pencil and ink on paper
51 1/8 x 85 in.
courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen
Sculpture

Couper l’oeil

Jay Heikes

2017
copper, wax, aluminum foil, steel, steel slag, cast bronze, iron
216 x 216 x 96 in.
courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen
Mixed Media

Zs

Jay Heikes

2017
wood, glue, salt, ink
69 1/2 x 40 x 3 in.
courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen
Mixed Media

Zs

Jay Heikes

2017
steel slag, salt, glue, pigment, ink, fiberglass, rubber snakes, copper wire, acorn husks, rocks, dirt
51 x 38 x 4 in.
courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen
Sculpture

Minor Planets

Jay Heikes

2017
group of six orbs: steel slag, glue, gladstone orb, cast bronze, lignum vitae, cast bismuth, aluminum, copper
dimensions variable
courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen

Past Events

Saturday, April 28, 2 PM
Zeena Parkins and William Winant Perform Music for Minor Planets

Renowned harpist Zeena Parkins and percussionist William Winant perform an interpretation of Jay Heikes's Music for Minor Planets.

BAMPFA
Wednesday, February 14, 6 PM
Artist's Talk: Jay Heikes

Heikes talks about art and alchemy and offers an overview of his wide-ranging practice, with an emphasis on the works featured in Jay Heikes / MATRIX 269.

BAMPFA

Jay Heikes / MATRIX 269

February 14–April 29, 2018

Many of the objects—paintings, sculptures, and drawings—presented in this exhibition were informed by time Jay Heikes (b. 1975) spent at a residency in Marfa, Texas, in early 2017. The dry, crumbly terrain of the desert landscape and the site’s proximity to Mexico inspired his rumination and reflection on the significance of borders to our culture, a subject that has concurrently received much attention in the political sphere. The exhibition features two large-scale copper sculptures that loosely conjure fences. Yet instead of delimiting territory, the sculptures appear tenuous and ornamental, alluding to the fact that they define a metaphorical space rather than an actual one. The sculptures are complemented by a selection of paintings from Heikes’s Z series, which he developed as a way to signal the end of language, implied by his invocation of the last letter of the alphabet. Additional drawings and sculptures extend his application of similar motifs. Together, the works embody the artist’s longing for transcendence amid the deluge of negative media in the wake of the presidential election.The son of a chemist, Heikes grew up fascinated by the sense of magic inherent in scientific experimentation and discovery. This experience is apparent in his interest in alchemy and the diverse material processes embedded in his artistic practice. “I feel we’re on trend to shortchange the art object,” Heikes has said. “We’re not giving it its due and I want to challenge that a little bit.” In addition to activating a reflection on our cultural moment, the works in MATRIX 269 highlight Heikes’s commitment to the material properties of the art object, and his probing of the potential of his diverse media and subjects.

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Jay Heikes / MATRIX 269 is organized by Apsara DiQuinzio, curator of modern and contemporary art and Phyllis C. Wattis MATRIX Curator, with Matthew Coleman, curatorial assistant. The MATRIX Program is made possible by a generous endowment gift from Phyllis C. Wattis and the continued support of the BAMPFA Trustees.

Jay Heikes / MATRIX 269

February 14–April 29, 2018

Selected Exhibition Objects

Drawing

Devil Has Left My Building

Jay Heikes

Sculpture

Couper l’oeil

Jay Heikes

Mixed Media

Zs

Jay Heikes

Mixed Media

Zs

Jay Heikes

Sculpture

Minor Planets

Jay Heikes

Past Events

Zeena Parkins and William Winant Perform Music for Minor Planets

Artist's Talk: Jay Heikes