Mascot

16 October 2022 - 14 January 2023

New Low is pleased to present Mascot an exhibition of new painted works by Julia Yerger. 

Over the last several years, Julia Yerger has been making digital paintings and collages. Mascot re-presents and re-mixes some of these works, anew - analog, oil painted, on canvas - a sort of backwards re-mastering of her technological successes.

It’s kind of twisted - why would one do this?

Yerger attended fine arts high school, giving her a foundational understanding that many contemporary makers lack. This foundation can act as equal parts aide and phantom, informing or haunting each move and mark. Up for any challenge, and considering herself ever learning, perhaps even always adolescent, Yerger took to the studio to attempt to do with pigment-on-surface what she had achieved on-screen in the digital workspace. The results are striking. 

Perhaps the most prominent feature of each painting is its light. Through patiently (painstakingly) layering, Yerger achieves tricks which are easy with the aid of a backlit screen, but not IRL. Elements emit, glow, radiate. Each painting features light sources, which at once addle the initial abstraction. Certain elements are highlighted, often acting as puncta for understanding, respite amidst the chaotic surroundings, using attention grabbing tactics of animation - “look here!”, or “I matter!” 

All this happens in environments which contribute to the paintings’ curious sense of real space. Along with the light, the works contain architectural elements - the compositions, even at their most abstract moments, are carefully constructed, not gestural. Elements in the foreground become figural and familiar when placed against Yerger’s backdrops. These are scenes where an observer is simultaneously inside and witnessing from a distance. Through Painting’s tradition of world-making, Yerger creates a sense of belonging and wonder that is so often missing from lived experience. 

Julia Yerger (b. 1993, Rockville, Maryland) is a Pisces Sun, Libra Moon, and Leo Rising. She received a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore. She lives and works in Los Angeles.