Lizzie Gill and Kristen Jensen

At Geary Contemporary, an exhibition pairing Lizzie Gill and Kristen Jensen, shows how nuanced, elegant and powerful the two-person format can be. At first glance, Jensen and Gill’s work have seemingly little in common. Jensen’s Warms (2021) sculptures are visually minimal and consist of two components: repurposed heating pads covered in used, mainly white, terrycloth towels and hand-built terracotta vessels. Gill’s mixed-media still life paintings contain more colors, patterns and materials (transferred found imagery, acrylic paint and marble dust emulsion). Individually strong, the works on view seem to constantly interact, challenging the viewer to take a closer look.

Though not readily apparent, parallels between the artists emerge. Elements of one body of work slowly reveal elements of the other, providing a new context and expanding the viewer’s understanding of both artists. Taking materials as a starting point, subtle visual connections unfold. The color of Jensen’s ceramics draws the eye onto Gill’s canvases and her vibrant red flowers. Made with marble dust emulsion applied with a cake piper, the thick, raised outline of the flowers pulls the viewer in and draws the eye across the surface to discover additional textures. Her flowers are transfixing; the raised outline of each petal contrasts with the flatness of the paint within.