Voyagers at Derek Eller Gallery, April 29 - May 29, 2021
Creatures, landscapes and power objects from my past paintings and drawings converge in this new series, "Voyagers", which initiates non-linear narratives of queer cosmic aliveness and bravery.
Snakes escape, lions leap, and birds congregate in jewel toned tales of emergence and adventure. Sprinkled with moonseeds, spacebows and axis mundis, my simultaneously micro and macro works reflect the spiritual, earthly and galactic realms.
An off-register pixelated line, as well as the repetition of shape and characters, offer a rhythmic score to the goings-on in my democratized peaceable kingdom. This ritualistic visual humming or beat reflects my deep interest in music and the sounds of the studio.
Last spring, I spent months drawing in an improvised closet studio at home in preparation for this series. I quote these drawings through palette and mark-making, referencing the seepage of marker through newsprint, the creamy color of paper and acidic highlighter. This nod to process is also evidenced by the ghosts or histories of each painting left slightly visible.
Just as an amphibian transforms according to its surroundings, the commingling of my characters have adapted to meet our moment. It is my wish that these talismanic sails, flood the gallery with vibrant optimism.
— EJ Hauser, 2021
EJ Hauser (b.1967) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She is a recipient of the 2021 American Academy of Arts and Letters Purchase Prize. Hauser has exhibited at venues such as Philipp Haverkampf Gallery Berlin, Sperone Westwater, White Columns, Participant Inc, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, Cheim & Read, The Journal Gallery, AWHRHWAR, The Breeder, The Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh, NC and Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. This will be her second exhibition at the gallery.