PICASSO, WELCOME TO AMERICA











Madison Ave New York
Picasso, Welcome to America
June 15 ā September 27, 2023
R.C. Baker
Brandon BallengƩe
Romare Bearden
Deborah Buck
Shijia Chen
Billy Copley
Eileen Foti
Bjƶrn Meyer-Ebrecht
Jaye Moon
Pablo Picasso
AndrƩ Raffray
Janet Taylor Pickett
Zhang Hongtu
Every artist since the early 20th century has been influenced by Pablo Picasso. The protean painter/ sculptor/ printmaker/ ceramicist helped define what “modern” art once was – and is still becoming. In 1939, MoMA’s staff was gathering 300 works by the world’s “most famous living artist” (according to the museum’s press release) for Picasso: Forty Years of His Art. A centerpiece of the exhibit was Guernica, his grisaille mural decrying the destruction of the small Basque town by Nazi bombers, in 1937.
Along with Michelangelo and Rembrandt, the name Picasso (1881-1973) has become a synonym – a clichĆ©, even – for āartist.” But none of the artists in Picasso, Welcome to America see the Spanish-born titan as an old hat. Instead, these ten Americans find in the European trailblazer constant inspiration and ongoing challenge. Zhang Hongtu imagines Chairman Mao exposed by glaring illumination similar to the all-seeing lantern in Guernica. Jaye Moon also reimagines Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece, in When Bob Dylan Meets Picasso, Guernica – using Lego bricks in Braille rather than paint.
The bodies and masks in another Picasso touchstone, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), come under scrutiny from Eileen Foti and AndrĆ© Raffray through substitution and homage. Billy Copley finds masks in unlikely surroundings, while Janet Taylor Pickett moves effigies aside to place her powerful female figure at center stage. Deborah Buck turns Picasso’s infamously harsh male gaze around, painting surreal figures that might be asking, “Who’s crying now?ā In Weary of Treading the Earth, from 1945, Romare Bearden, working in watercolor and ink rather than his later signature collage, energizes cubist space with a circus-like palette. R.C. Baker riffs beyond Picasso’s Blue and Rose periods through primary-colored aluminum printing plates. Bjƶrn Meyer-Ebrecht’s dynamic wood and enamel sculpture strips the figure to cubist angles and voids, while Brandon BallengĆ©e searches for animals that, like Picasso’s minotaurs, are no longer with us. Original works by Pablo Picasso will also be on view, commemorating the 50th anniversary of his death.
All of the artists in this exhibition have been influenced by Picasso’s experiments with form and perspective – his breaking of traditional and academic rules. Some of the work here also comments on his darker side, while other pieces engage with the social and political aspects of Picasso’s art. Ultimately, these ten contemporary artists in Picasso, Welcome to America appreciate the formal and aesthetic complexity of a constant innovator. This great artist was effectively barred from ever visiting the United States because he was a member of the French Communist Party. But the joke was on the Feds – Picasso has been in America all along.
VIDEOS
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Categories: exhibitions
Tags: AndrƩ Raffray Billy Copley Bjƶrn Meyer-Ebrecht Brandon Bellengee Deborah Buck Eileen Foti Janet Taylor Pickett Jaye Moon Kathy Grove Pablo Picasso RC Baker Romare Bearden Zhang Hongtu
TANGO








Self-Portrait in the Style of the Old Masters, 2001
Computer morphed Photograph digitally print with the artist frame
38 x 29 inches
Edition of 3

Follow The Light, 2013
Collage and acrylic on wood
6 x 6 x 2.5 inches

Journey Into The Interior, 2013-14
Collage and acrylic on canvas
12 x 16 x 1.5 inches

Just PassingThrough: Girlfriend, 2022
Pastel on paper
24 x 18 inches

Just PassingThrough: Boyfriend, 2022
Pastel on paper
24 x 18 inches

December 20, 2018, 2021
Oil on canvas
52 x 45 inches

San Miguel, 2021,
Oil on canvas
52 x 45 inches

Get That Money, 2022
Lego bricks and acrylic board
60 x 60 inches
TANGO
Summer Exhibition
July 13 - August 17, 2022
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WINGS OF DESIRE


Wings of Desire, 2022
20 x 50 x 1 in.
Lego bricks, woodĀ
āItās great to live by the spirit, to testify for eternity⦠only what is spiritual in peopleās minds. But sometimes Iām fed up with my spiritual existence⦠of forever hovering above. Iād like to feel a weight in me⦠to end the infinity, and to tie me to earth.ā āWhy am I me, and why not you?ā āWhy am I here, and why not there? -Wings of Desire, 1987, film

Lego Bricks, wood
20 x 20 x1 in.
"You realize that I can't see you, even though you can see me. If you turn the light off in there, will you be able to see me? I don't know. I never tried. Can you see me now? Yeah. Do you recognize me? Oh, Trevis."Ā - Paris,Texas, 1984, film

Color Purple, 2022
a diptych
Lego bricks, wood
20 x 40 x1 in.
āFolks donāt likeĀ nobody beingĀ too proud,Ā orĀ too free.ā āGod love admiration. You saying God is vain? No, not vain. Just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purpleā¦ā¦ in a field⦠and you donātĀ notice it.ā - The Color Purple, 1985, film

Our Differences, 2022
Lego bricks, wood
20 x 20 x1 in.
āIt is not our differences that divide us.Ā It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences,ā -Audre Lorde in Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, 1984, book

Perfect Lovers, 2012
Altered two commercial clocks
13. 5 x 13.5 x 2.75 in., each

America, 2000
Lego bricks, plexiglass
12 x 12 x 1 in.
Jaye Moon
America - Pedestrian Crossing, 2002
Lego bricks, plexiglass
12 x 12 x 1 in.
Jaye Moon
America_Red Door, 2000
Lego bricks, plexiglass
12 x 12 x 2 in.
Jaye Moon
Untitled, 1997
Lego bricks, plexiglass, metal
12 x 12 x 1 in.

Whoās in Heaven, 2012
Iridescent, florescent, matt, transparent plexiglass in aluminum frame
16.25 H x 18.25 W inches
Unique
Jaye Moon
F Word, 2012
Lego bricks, plexiglass
10 x 10 in
Unique
Jaye Moon
S Word, 2012
Lego bricks, plexiglass
10 x 10 in
Unique
Jaye Moon
Cunt, 2012
Iridescent, florescent, matt, transparent plexiglass in aluminum frame
21 x 15.25 in.
Unique

People Like You need To Fuck People Like Me, 2012
Neon
26 x 35.4 x 2.6 in

Medicine, 2022
Metal spoon, beads
6.5 x 1.5 x .5 in.
Unique

Live Or Die, 2022
Lego bricks, two commercial clocks, two amplifiers
13.5 x 13.5 x 2.75 in., each
āWho's deciding who's gonna live?ā āWho's deciding who's gonna die?ā -The Thin Red Line, 1987, film
WINGS OF DESIRE
A Brief Survey of Sculptural Paintings by Jaye Moon
Jennifer Baahng Gallery is pleased to announce the gallery representation of Jaye Moon, and her solo exhibition, WINGS OF DESIRE, a brief survey of sculptural paintings from 2012 to 2022, with a focus on her work with braille. WINGS OF DESIRE is an exhibition that highlights Moonās praxis of using braille as an art medium to create freer and wider ways to communicate and open possibilities to everyone. The exhibition will run from March 25 through April 27, 2022, with an opening reception on Friday, March 25, 2022, from 3pm to 7pm.
Viewers will experience Moonās work through the brilliant colors, bold patterns, and the novelty of using universally appealing, unpolitical, mathematical toys as an art medium. Moonās LEGO paintings also contain messages transcribed in braille. Braille, which is not a language but a code into which many languages can be transcribed, consists of six dots arranged in the formation of a rectangle. Moon uses braille in her work, presented either as dots arranged in a specific formation, or presented as numbers (with each number signifying what would have been a dotās position in the rectangle). What viewers will find coded in the braille in Moonās work are the intricate human stories that we share.
In the poetic and eponymous work,Ā Wings of DesireĀ (2022), LEGO bricks are sculpted to visually capture the opening scene of Wim Wendersā filmĀ Wings of DesireĀ (1987). It depicts an aerial view of two invisible angels looking over a city, and the segregation and power that cause one lonesome angel to feel isolated and desirous to connect with people. It also contains a specific pattern of raised dots on the surface, which form the braille transcription of the script excerpt of a poignant moment in the film. The braille is conspicuous but also seamlessly blended into the background. It is tactile and in plain sight for all to see, but at the same time, it transmits messages just for the traditionally excluded.
In the visually striking, Neon work,Ā People Like You Need To Fuck People Like MeĀ (2012), Moonās rework of Tracey Eminās 2007 iconic piece, Moon transcribed Eminās tantalizing, confessional message into braille presented as numbers. It is another example of Moon using the mode of language for the unseen, for its visual and universal utility, this time to shatter the ice in the silenced discussion of female sexuality. Eminās feminist message is widely received in the West, yet in many Asian cultures, expressing sexuality, especially female sexuality, is discouraged. By translating Eminās raw message into numerical code, Korea-born Moon opens up the possibility to hail the same message in the face of discrimination, without fear of ostracism or penalty.
Moon uses braille as an art medium to break new ground in the contemporary human condition of isolation caused by barriers of sexuality and disability.Ā She uses braille because it is based on binary logic that can transcend political, cultural, and social structures. It is also the mode of language for the people who are often overlooked.
WINGS OF DESIRE is an elegant and robust display of stunning, intricate, and inventive works that are both exploratory and instructive: as we shift towards more impersonal communication, we may lose the complexity of our own identities, but we also discover new ways to see our identities and gain a greater understanding of each other.Ā In this pursuit of her own distinctive culture, Jaye Moon is undeterred.
Jaye Moon Soars On Wings of Desire by Paul Laster
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Categories: exhibitions
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JAYE MOON


Pink-Camo, 2025
1500 Lego bricks in Braille on plexiglas, aluminum
20 x 20 inches
āThe pressure we feel from society is a battle we fight within ourselves. Self-acceptance holds the power to end this internal struggle and set us free.ā

A Prologue, 2025
2200 Lego bricks in Braille on plexiglas, aluminum
20 x 20 inches
ā죽ėė ź¹ģ§ ķėģ ģ°ė¬ė¬ ķģ ė¶ėė¼ģ“ ģźø°ė„¼ ģģģ ģ“ė ė°ėģė ėė ź““ė”ģ ķė¤ ė³ģ ė øėķė ė§ģģ¼ė” ėŖØė ģ£½ģ“ź°ė ź²ģ ģ¬ėķ“ģ¼ģ§ ź·øė¦¬ź³ ėģź² 주ģ“ģ§ źøøģ ź±øģ“ź°ģ¼ź² ė¤. ģ¤ėė°¤ģė ė³ģ“ ė°ėģ ģ¤ģ¹ģ“ė¤.āĀ ģ¤ė주 ģģ

Our Differences, 2022
1500 Lego bricks in Braille on plexiglas, aluminum
20 x 20 inches
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences,ā – Audre Lorde in Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, 1984

Fluid Spectrum, 2024
1500 Lego bricks in Braille on plexiglas, aluminum
20 x 20 inches
āIdentity is not a fixed point, but a fluid spectrum. EmbracingĀ non-binary perspectives allows usĀ to see the limitless potentialĀ within every human being.ā
JAYE MOON
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
ARTIST BIO
Jaye Moon (b. 1963) has been crafting interactive braille paintings with LEGO bricks since the 1990s. Her LEGO Braille paintings demonstrate her innovative approach to accessible art, emphasizing inclusivity and tactile engagement. In these works, Moon translates excerpts from movie scripts, song lyrics, poetries, and prose in literature with a distinct approach, including her writing.Ā Her work is an abstract painting for all viewers with and without the ability to decipher Braille. Touching the surface of the work transcends its aesthetics and takes on the meaning embodied within.
Moonās work has been exhibited in Brussels, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Miami, New York, Seoul, and Tokyo. Her museum exhibitions include the Brooklyn Museum, the Queens Museum in New York, the Nam June Paik Art Center, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Korea, and the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art in Korea. Her artwork has been reviewed in art publications, including Art in America, Artforum, Artnet, Time Out, and News Week Magazine, and featured in the Korean middle school art textbook. She received the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and an MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute.Ā Jaye Moon is the 2025 Hall of Fame inductee of the New York Foundation of Art and is represented by Jennifer Baahng Gallery in New York and Seoul.
SPOTLIGHT
Video credit:Ā NYFA
Jaye Moon
NYFAās 2025 Hall of Fame Inductee
Tuesday, March 18, 2025,Ā New York
Gallery artist Jaye Moon was honored at TheĀ New York Foundation forĀ theĀ ArtsĀ for the 2025 Hall of Fame BenefitĀ onĀ Tuesday, March 18,Ā held at Gotham Hall in New York.Ā Breaking barriers, her LEGO Braille paintings demonstrate her innovative approach to accessible art, emphasizing inclusivity and tactile engagement.Ā NYFAās annual Hall of Fame Benefit is a vibrant celebration of the arts and an acknowledgment of the remarkable artists who have made profound impacts in the arts and those who sustain artistic vision with unwavering integrity.
Wings of Desire
An Interview with Jaye Moon by Hyewon Yi
April 30, at 5PM at Jennifer Baahng Gallery
On April 30, 2022, in conjunction with the opening of gallery artist Jaye Moonās solo exhibition āWings of Desireā (March 25 ā April 27, 2022), the artist was interviewed by Hyewon Yi, the Director of the Amelie A. Wallace Gallery at SUNY Westbury. The conversation between Yi and Moon covers Moonās career trajectory from her days as an artĀ student in Korea to her recent practice, which focuses on visual communication withĀ particular references to film. āWings of Desireā featured Moonās ongoing body ofĀ conceptual work that utilizes a numerical system and the colors of Legos within theĀ binary logic of Braille.
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