See Outside, Inside: Group Exhibition

Jackson Junge Gallery is pleased to present SEE OUTSIDE, INSIDE, a group exhibition featuring the work of Keri Albero, Laura Haberer, Laura Lee Junge, Deana Bada Maloney, CV Peterson, and Rebecca Zemans. This exhibition explores the relationship between the natural world and how humans interact with it. Through the pieces of these six artists, the viewer can connect with how we affect nature and how nature affects us.   

The connection of nature in indoor spaces is beautifully shown in the work of Laura Haberer. Haberer’s collection of pieces for this exhibition showcases what can happen when indoor spaces remain untouched, and we allow nature to just be. Haberer creates landscapes with her painterly, impressionist style that creates an intimate scene for the viewer. Haberer explains, “Each piece in this collection touches on the truth that human life is, in fact, not at all separate from nature. We are nature. And so, it may feel as if nature is reclaiming but I wonder if that is true or if just another aspect of nature takes its turn.” The viewer can see this reclaiming of nature in pieces such as “Generations” and “Frondescent”, where indoor spaces grow trees and other greenery to begin transforming into a natural state. However, Haberer also shows how humans willingly interact with nature in her piece “Just A Taste," showing a dining room scene with vivid green plants throughout. Haberer states, “Despite our urban lives, we yearn to reconnect to organic nature. The farther we move from organic nature the more of it we seem to bring indoors.” 

Also incorporating indoor and outdoor elements in their work is renowned artist and gallery owner Laura Lee Junge. In Junge’s latest pieces for this exhibition, she creates her familiar floral landscapes with a twist. Junge utilizes her surrealist vibrant style and pairs it with a more intimate indoor space. Through movement and line, Junge creates a seemingly indoor environment that intertwines with shapes and themes of the outside world. Junge describes, “It is as if the line between outside and inside does not exist and the wonderful imaginary world where both are combined is the playground for the floral imagery.”  

The connection of human interference between nature and animals can be shown in the sculptural work of Deana Bada Maloney. Maloney connects human-made found objects with animals to explore the environment we are creating by our waste issue. Pieces in this collection include “I’m Taking This Personally”, which depicts a hyper-realistic, sitting wolverine reading a discarded comic book and “Getting Outta Here Might Take Some Thyme,” which shows a junco bird trapped upside down in a spice jar. Maloney states, “It’s humorous until the realization we are the ones that created this circumstance.”  

Keri Albero also shows the connection of human-made objects and nature with her captivating decoupage chair piece titled, “Botanical Symphony in Decoupage: Chair Art”. Albero describes this piece as “exploring the intricate beauty of botanical fruits and gardens—inspired by lush, tropical fruit, flowers, and the vibrant aesthetics of Cuban and English garden vintage botanical illustrations.” This vintage chair is carefully crafted through a blend of vivid colors and detailed textures, creating an immersive and imaginative piece that also acts as a functional object.  

In a more literal sense, Rebecca Zemans combines natural and non-natural elements in her work. In her piece titled, “Determination,” Zemans incorporates an air plant within an acrylic abstract painting. Zemans states, “This piece is a part of a larger series that explores plant life and acrylic (plastic) paint that depicts industrial structures made of natural resources. Deeply rooted in making connections between industry, technology and nature, my work investigates the relationships between the industrial complex, evolution, and the environment.” Seeing these natural objects outside of their typical context challenges the viewer to think how human actions have an impact on ourselves and the natural world.  

Also using nature in a literal sense in their work is artist CV Peterson. CV combines science and art in their practice, with fungus being their medium of choice. In making these fungal sculptures, CV uses Ecovative Design’s fungal product, Mycofoam, a bio-alternative for Styrofoam. The unique nature of CV’s work comes from the lack of control they have while creating. In using a natural medium like fungus, the growing organism gains agency over what the piece will ultimately look like. In their series “No Quick Fix”, CV found inspiration from the research of waxworms. Waxworms have evolved to consume the plastics we use to make water bottles and plastic bags. Ideally, these worms would be the perfect solution to resolve our plastic waste problem. CV explains, “In the excitement of wanting to breed this worm to be a solution to our plastic problem it was nearly forgotten that waxworms’ favorite food is honeybee wax. Growing this worm’s population would be a detriment for the already dwindling honeybee community. A true catch-22.” CV creates topographical inspired designs in this series of fungal wall sculptures, with imagery of worm-like figures, honeycomb, and insect wings.   

SEE OUTSIDE, INSIDE will begin at Jackson Junge Gallery on Tuesday, July 9th, with an opening reception on Friday, July 12th from 6:00 -10:00 p.m. This exhibition features the work of six local artists working in various mediums and is curated by Gallery Director Kaitlyn Miller and Gallery Assistant Marisa Taravella.