A Journey
Untitled I; Untitled II; Untitled III; Untitled IV; Untitled V

Over the span of five decades, Oliver Lee Jackson has developed a singular practice, creating complex and layered work in which figuration melds with abstract fields of vivid color. Jackson’s works are tightly composed but feel improvisational in approach.

While Jackson is better known for his expressive, figurative paintings, the artist also has a robust sculptural practice that he has honed over his long career. The works on view on the High Line were produced by the artist for this exhibition. Since 2020 Jackson has constructed several monumental slotted steel sculptures, largely based on smaller works of his from the late 1990s. The artist honors his utilitarian material, and yet the painted, cut, and pockmarked surfaces animate the sculptures beyond their material properties.

The sharp angles and abstract shapes Jackson cuts from the steel coalesce into elegant, perceptible figures. In Untitled II, a male figure with truncated legs is rendered in purple and black with a red heart covered in gold leaf attached to his steel chest. A tray of pencils and a bowl of coins indicate the figure’s humble circumstances while the massive form exudes physical power—an ambiguity of references that underlies much of Jackson’s work.

A number of the works on view also continue Jackson’s exploration of a minimal “stick figure” approach to figuration. Untitled III has distilled the human form into a simple collection of narrow planes of steel that evoke a kneeling woman with a bouquet of flowers positioned between her knees. Untitled IV resembles a figure striding forward, assembled from a combination of steel planes with black and white paint that add to its sense of determined motion.

Two distinct head motifs are repeated in Jackson’s presentation; topped with a simple red/orange hat, Untitled I features two faces painted with rudimentary, but distinct, expressions on each side. Untitled V is an abstract sculptural interpretation formed from three interlocking steel plates painted in white with blue trim, and eyes, birds, flowers, and other imagery rendered in black on the outward-facing side to further animate the form.

On view at the Western Rail Yards, Oliver Lee Jackson’s energetic work complements the section’s simple gravel pathway and original self-seeded, wild landscape.