<p>Collector Alexander V. Petalas deciphers the artist's enigmatic showpiece</p>

As told to Skye Sherwin

In Joseph Yaeger's largest painting to date, ‘you’re in the thick of it’

<p>‘<em>Old long since </em>[2022] is the largest painting Joseph Yaeger has ever made. It draws from the image of a female figure, her eyes covered by an anonymous hand, which has been blown up to monumental proportions. This painting is so obviously larger than life that it really grabs your attention. It’s a mid-action moment; you’re in the thick of it. The hand looks like it belongs to a man, but I am drawn to the woman, unconsciously embodying her and feeling her emotions.</p><p>‘Between the man’s fingers, there’s a little gap. You can almost see a bit of the female character’s eyelid. Is she able to see what is happening? Yaeger is never explicit. It is unclear whether his imagery is uplifting or sinister. Maybe the man is leading the woman to a wonderful surprise? Somehow, I can’t see it that way. For me, there is something much darker going on – and the viewer is implicated in the process of making meaning. This question of the gaze, of who is looking at whom, occurs again and again in Yaeger’s paintings, which often look back at the viewer or other subjects with piercing glances.</p>

<p>‘Yaeger never discloses where his images come from. It’s not important for the audience to know who this or that person is. It’s more about the feeling that each painting evokes. His works have a cinematic quality, and the way they are cropped is always intriguing: you’re trying to figure out what you’re not being shown.</p><p>‘The artist&nbsp;has developed a technique of using watercolor on gesso in his paintings – something I have never seen done before. The watercolor is applied in one layer, which gives the surface of the paintings an almost translucent quality. Yet, these works also feel like very physical objects because of the thick gesso upon which the watercolor is applied.</p>

<p>‘I used to focus primarily on collecting sculpture. In the past few years, I’ve gravitated towards younger painters who are on their own path, working in a way that’s true to what they believe in and not following trends. Rachel Jones is another artist I collect who is unique in her use of pastel sticks to create large abstract paintings. Also Lewis Hammond, a figurative painter with a one-off dark, moody vision. We live in a world saturated with imagery and I look at art every day, so when I see something that really resonates, it’s very exciting. I want to see and learn more: who is this person?</p><p>‘Yaeger grew up in Montana and studied film and illustration before coming to London to undertake an MA at the Royal College of Art, which he graduated from in 2019. Though he is 36, he considers himself to be starting out in his career. He is the youngest artist I’ve offered a solo exhibition to at The Perimeter, my exhibition space in London, where I’ve also held solo exhibitions with artists like Carmen Herrera, Sarah Lucas, and Ron Nagle.</p>

<p>‘There are incredible private art collections in London but you’re not often able to see them because the works are in storage or in people’s homes. The exhibitions I’ve staged always come from a personal place and I want The Perimeter itself to reflect that. Rather than feel institutional, I want it to be warm and convivial, almost like entering someone’s home.&nbsp;<em>Old long since</em> hangs on the biggest wall in the central room. Other works lead out of it. There are figures glancing in certain directions and hands recur, covering something or being held up. Whatever is being shown, there is always a gap for the viewer to fill in. You can build your own narrative.’</p><hr /><p>Joseph Yaeger is represented by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1866/Project-Native-Informant">Project Native Informant</a> (London).</p><p>Joseph Yaeger<br />‘Time Weft’<br />Until February 18, 2023<br />The Perimeter, London</p><p>Skye Sherwin is an art writer based in Rochester, UK. She contributes regularly to The Guardian and numerous art publications.</p><p>Published on January 13, 2023.</p>

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