ULTRASCAPES! | Jerrin Wagstaff

19 November 2021 - 28 January 2022

"I wanted to address the foundations and framework of America’s identity which are completely wrapped up in spectacle, absurdity, and desire.  19th Century Romantic landscape painting seemed like a perfect place to start because it truly contains all three in equal parts and was a critical component of shaping the American ethos." - Jerrin Wagstaff

Modern West is pleased to introduce ULTRASCAPES!, a solo exhibition of new works by Jerrin Wagstaff, Artist in Residence at Modern West from September 1 through November 30, 2021. The exhibition will be on view Upstairs from November 19, 2021 through January 7, 2022. An opening to celebrate the body of works created during the residency will be held November 19, 2021 from 6-8pm. All are invited to attend. 

 

While in residency at Modern West, Wagstaff planed to focus his work towards his growing interest in the upheaval in American culture and how American Mythologies shape the views and expectations of being an American. The result of his residency is a portfolio of Ultrascapes, oil paintings influenced by spectacle, desire, and absurdity, which incorporate critical perspectives of American Exceptionalism, Romanticism, and Manifest Destiny.

 

Wagstaff is an artist based in Salt Lake City, UT. He earned his Master of Fine Arts from California State University, Long Beach in 2006 and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Brigham Young University in 2003. Since graduating, his work has been featured in several solo and group shows throughout the country: at Another Year in LA, Los Angeles, CA, Nox Contemporary in Salt Lake City, UT, Torrance Art Museum, the Center for Contemporary Art in Sacramento, CA, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, the San Diego Art Institute, and CUAC Contemporary Art in Salt Lake City, UT. In addition to his professional art practice, for over a decade Wagstaff has taught at various colleges and universities, is a contributor for The Contemporary Art Digest, and was a resident at the Guthrie Artist Studios in downtown Salt Lake City, UT.