1969 Gallery is pleased to present The Forest Through The Trees by Mark Ryan Chariker. In this most recent body of work, Chariker playfully reinterprets the age-old idiom, 'You can’t see the forest for the trees,' suggesting that our collective fixation on quantity, immediacy, and individualism in modern times often blinds us to the broader interconnectedness of our experiences. Chariker’s humanistic interpretation of this proverbial ideology involves the deliberate act of slowing down, a rejection of mass production, and an appreciation for painting and its materiality—fostering an environment in which the artist’s process mirrors the viewer’s experience of looking—deeply, carefully, and meticulously.
In this new series of paintings, figures are depicted in a paradoxically celebratory yet confrontational fashion, meeting the gaze of the viewer, and surrounded by an overwhelming profusion of vegetation. The plants and roots encroaching the edges of these images carry over to his forest landscape paintings, in which he offers glimpses of light beyond a dense array of foliage. This interplay creates an ambiguous sense of hope and possibility, suggesting an ideal state that transcends our vantage point.
Through subtle tonal shifts and layered spaces in which environment and emotion become inseparable, Chariker urges viewers to pause, to take in the entirety of the scene, and to investigate the intricacies of our world. Ultimately, like the old masters he nods to, Chariker creates a visual experience that is as much about feeling as it is about seeing. His work moves beyond the spectacle of quick consumption, asking the viewer to linger; to engage deeply with the worlds he depicts; and to explore The Forest Through The Trees.
