Facebook data center, Prineville, Oregon 2019

Jarik Jongman’s “Facebook data center, Prineville, Oregon” is rendered in thick oil paint with broad strokes, the colour palette dominated by oranges, yellows, browns, whites, and blacks. I imagine Jongman outside this imposing industrial structure, layering colour upon colour, responding to the Oregon light. I sympathize with the artist’s endeavor, the challenge of capturing such a monolithic subject. What was he thinking as he laid down the strokes of colour? The paint is applied generously, creating a tactile surface that invites touch. It’s as if Jongman sought to excavate something human from this technological behemoth. Look at how the paint is thick around the base, almost like mud. That swirling gesture could be trying to escape the site of the building itself. Jongman's work is part of an ongoing conversation between artists across time, each building upon the ideas and techniques of those who came before. As an artist, I see my own approach to painting—the layering, the intuitive marks—reflected in his work. We are all in conversation.