"It is a fine line between dystopia and dream. Slippery. And, at times crossed without realization. Both are considered distant, not quite real, yet they slowly pervade our lives until one day we inhabit them––having lost touch with what currently matters. Then, we will have to imagine, think creatively, build bridges, act with our hearts, and for others in order to reverse our material imprint on time, or rather to cope with it.

with love from hell captures touch across distance, and possibly at the edge of the world. This two-person show has come into being across almost 2,500 miles; rocki swiderski and Jack Graydon met in 2016 in Portland, not long before they moved to Tucson, AZ and Brooklyn, NY respectively. Two places they understand as variations of hell (on Earth); the physical realms in which these works are rooted, and from where they grow to each other. Starting with a set of rules that include sharing writing prompts, color selection, photographs and walks, swiderski and Graydon created a common studio ground between the metropolis and the desert. The resulting works are a collaborative attempt to put a finger on their locale and the variety of perceptions of these places, both dystopic and dreamlike.

On view at Stellarhighway, two new bodies of paintings and a series of small sculptures move towards and away from each other with each work. Near-merging palettes are pulled back into their own works through lines which form a starting point for Graydon yet are a result of left-over negative space in swiderski’s work. In correspondence through lines––to be understood as edges not borders––and spaces, colors both toxic and natural, and resilient imagery, these works hint at the human destruction of nature and cities alike, as well as the beauty that remains beyond our control.

swiderski’s work places a deceptive focus on the natural, animal and material beauty of the Sonoran Desert. In their paintings, a longer look will show that a spider may be poisonous and traps our view amidst thorns, that the resting horse is exposed to full sun, and a rabbit seeks shelter in a burn pile under a destructive sky. swiderski’s sculptures incorporate colorful and shiny debris from the Santa Cruz River, creating cute vessels that nonetheless intentionally fail to function as sufficient containers for liquid. Embedded within abstract forms, in Graydon’s paintings underdog animals such as rats, snakes and ducks carve out space for themselves around sludgy shapes of color pushed into being through the lines and to the very edge of the canvas, gradually becoming more abstract and begging for more space. Animals take on the role of a talisman, for both artists; these creatures are our witnesses and our hope. They are the ones who for better or for worse have adapted to our man made hell." - Text by Lara Schoorl

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Stellarhighway is pleased to present with love from hell, a two-person presentation featuring paintings and sculpture by Southwest-based rocki swiderski and Brooklyn-based Jack Graydon.

Graydon’s paintings collapse iconographic forms derived from art history, cartoons and folk art. Abstracted letters, objects, flora and fauna ripple across his canvases, coalescing into a milieu of color, shape and texture that climb off the painted surface. swiderski’s work focuses on methods of coping and survival, reflecting on the role of sentience and protection. At present they are focused on barriers, boundaries, natural resources, looking at the sky and daydreaming about the new world.

While the artists' studios differ in their pursuits, they have long used the other as a sounding board for new ideas or to work through blockages. Over their years of friendship, and despite thousands of miles of separation, swiderski's input has become crucial to the development of Graydon's practice and vice versa. The works in this presentation do not match, per se, nor are they pairs or sets, but they do follow similar formal concepts and principals, and were created in conversation between the two artists with an intent to hold to light that process of exchange between makers.