Anything you say can and will be used against you I 2019

Curator: It feels like walking into a memory, doesn't it? A fragile, fading photograph come to life. Editor: Exactly, and what an evocative and intriguing memory it is. This piece by Jarik Jongman, titled “Anything you say can and will be used against you I,” created in 2019 using oil paint. The portrait of a figure partially concealed, partially revealed... I immediately zero in on the tension created by the title and composition. The artist plays with access, or lack thereof, which leads to reflection and critical thoughts about process, transparency and vulnerability. Curator: The way the hands cover the face… it speaks volumes about what's hidden and what's protected. It feels like the artist is tapping into something primal, a universal feeling of vulnerability or the need for self-preservation in the face of scrutiny. I like the contrast of the dark attire and surroundings against that bright white splotch that seems to function as his face. A bold move to create an uncanny yet impactful effect. Editor: Let's talk more about materiality: the texture and visible brushstrokes, thick in some areas, almost scraped away in others. To me, it accentuates the themes you described so well. Think of Jongman as using layers, literally building up paint as if constructing defenses, while also scraping back, revealing raw canvas - revealing underlying insecurities of our era... It bridges the gap between high art and craft, underlining that these paintings are handmade labor rather than mechanically made production. Curator: Beautifully put! And there's a loneliness there, too. It's isolating to be both the observed and the observer, trapped in this kind of painted interrogation room. Editor: I couldn't agree more. To expand, I believe that such pieces offer us a potent moment for reassessing production in the making of self in a heavily surveilled and neoliberal system. Curator: Absolutely. Art like this holds a mirror up to our own anxieties, using oil and canvas to capture something painfully real. Editor: I see his art, ultimately, as not just about portraying figures, but about capturing their place within this particular matrix of production and reproduction. The man, his painting; Jongman creates an evocative portrait of our relationship.