THE CONTEMPORARY AUSTIN PRESENTS HOST: ARYEL RENÉ JACKSON

June 28, 2023

AUSTIN, TEXAS, June 28, 2023 – The Contemporary Austin announces an exhibition of work
by Austin-based artist Aryel René Jackson. As the second installment of HOST, The
Contemporary’s latest exhibition series, the show will debut artwork specifically created for the
HOST gallery at the museum’s Jones Center. The presentation will be on view September 28,
2023, through January 28, 2024.

Jackson’s practice considers land and landscape as sites of internal representation that is
informed by their perspectives as a Black Afro-Creole artist working in film. Their “Visual
Essays,” a term used by the artist to describe their practice, are lyrical films that utilize soil,
performance, mimicry, and sculpture to reflect on critical race theory and archeological studies.
Born in Louisiana and raised by a maternal family descending from generations of farmers,
Jackson makes work that draws on the experiences of their upbringing. Jackson’s work offers a
reminder that history and public memory are far from immutable truths, but rather represent
speculative practices comprised of equal parts doubt and imagination.

Jackson’s HOST presentation will be on view concurrently this fall with This Land, a group
exhibition at The Contemporary, which similarly explores themes of land and its history.

HOST: Aryel René Jackson is curated by Julie Le, Assistant Curator. HOST’s mission is to
center artists and welcome the public through a site-responsive installation and public
programming that extends outwards. Programming details will be announced soon.

ABOUT HOST
HOST is an exhibition series that amplifies The Contemporary Austin’s commitment to centering
artists and welcoming the public. With each exhibition cycle, an artist will create a newly
commissioned environment in the new HOST gallery space at the Jones Center. Throughout the
run of each exhibition, artists will invite visitors into their worlds with tailored programming.

THE CONTEMPORARY AUSTIN
As Austin’s only museum solely focused on contemporary artists and their work, The
Contemporary Austin offers exhibitions, educational opportunities, and events that start
conversations and fuel the city’s creative spirit. Known for artist-centric exhibitions and
collaborations, The Contemporary invites exploration at both its urban and natural
settings—downtown at the Jones Center (700 Congress Avenue) and lakeside at the Laguna
Gloria campus (3809 West 35th Street), which includes the museum’s Betty and Edward
Marcus Sculpture Park, with a growing program of commissions, temporary projects, and a
permanent collection of outdoor sculptures by artists including Ai Weiwei, Terry Allen, Carol
Bove, Sarah Crowner, Tom Friedman, Anya Gallaccio, Ryan Gander, Liam Gillick, Nancy Holt,
Teresa Hubbard / Alexander Birchler, Paul McCarthy, Wangechi Mutu, Tom Sachs, Monika
Sosnowska, Jessica Stockholder, SUPERFLEX, Marianne Vitale, and Ursula von Rydingsvard.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Aryel René Jackson (born 1991, Louisiana) currently works in Austin, Texas, and teaches
foundation courses at Texas State University in San Marcos. Jackson is an alum of the
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2019), The University of Texas at Austin (2019),
Royal College of Art Exchange Program (2018), and The Cooper Union (2013). Their visual
essays and films have screened at the Digital Arts Resource Centre, Ottawa, ON (2022); the
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (2022); the Baltimore Museum of Art (2021); and The
Momentary in collaboration with the Crystal Bridges Museum (2020). Jackson’s work has been
exhibited at galleries and institutions such as Artpace in San Antonio (2022); Women & Their
Work, Austin (2022); Art Gallery at Black Studies at The University of Texas at Austin (2021);
Dallas Contemporary (2021); Jacob Lawrence Gallery, Seattle (2021); SculptureCenter, New
York (2019); New Museum, New York (2019); Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans (2018);
Depaul Art Museum, Chicago (2018); Rhode Island School of Design Museum (2017); and
Studio Museum in Harlem (2016).

MEDIA INQUIRIES
Jamie Hatton | Director of Marketing & Communications | [email protected]