Our latest Feature follows Jeffrey Meris as he and NXTHVN Curatorial Fellow Claire Kim connect Meris’ ongoing routine of “self-care Saturday” and his studio practice. Started amidst the chaos and violence of last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, Meris’ practice involved setting aside time each week to pursue activities related to his own mental and physical well-being, whether that was cooking, exercising or caring for plants. Catch a Stick of Fire (2021), a large sculptural work by Meris currently on view at James Cohan, is deeply influenced by Meris’ self-care philosophy: the plants that dot each chandelier arm were purchased and cared for by the artist over the course of the past year; and point to a softening of Meris’ work.
Works by Jeffrey Meris are on view at James Cohan, 48 Walker Street, in the exhibition Un/Common Proximity through August 13, 2021.
