In “Taken as a Lover, Burning as a Witch,” Iyan de Jesus’ latest solo exhibition at Vinyl on Vinyl, figures recline amidst edenic landscapes and marinescapes. At first glance, these scenes evoke harmony and paradise by showing humans in their natural state, one with nature. But closer inspection reveals subtle twists to expectation—a beautiful woman taking rest among the birds is suddenly revealed to be a half-bird herself; a second woman seated against rising waves has a fishtail instead of legs; and a third has wings sprouting from her back. All at once, the feeling of familiarity gives way to doubt—Eden has been transformed into Wonderland: a strange, fantastical world where things are not always what they seem.
Tidal Waves
As Flames Go
Everything Was Beautiful And Nothing Hurt
These chimeras (greek mythological creatures made up of parts of other animals), once used as a symbol for female maleficence in medieval times, have come to represent anything contradictory or incongruent. And yet the figures in de Jesus’ canvases gaze calmly out at the viewer or off into the distance in thought. To them, everything is as it should be; and it is precisely in this tension between the expected and the unknown that de Jesus’ art finds its place. This is echoed in de Jesus’ use of rhythmic organic shapes ordered by sharp, clean edges in a balance of order and natural whimsy. As a whole, “Taken as a Lover, Burning as a Witch” explores how embracing contradiction ultimately paves the way for the creation of something new.