Dried Slices of Produce Enliven a Cellar-Like Space in Ruby Jackson's 'Picker'

"Like ancient traditions of weaving papyrus, Ruby Jackson fashions a similarly desiccated substrate from delicate cuts of produce. The Chatham, New York-based artist sliced and dried a range of fare from apples and pears to purple daikon and watermelon, creating thin, translucent pieces to be collaged into various forms."

"Jackson's recent solo exhibition, Picker at Chatham Soccer, presented a series of the resulting works. A troupe of dancers frolicks along one wall, while more abstract forms arranged in gradients appear on another."

"With yellow concrete walls and wood paneling, the unconventional space evokes a fruit cellar primed for storing harvests through a long winter, a fitting atmosphere for this equally unconventional material."

Ruby Jackson slices and dries a variety of produce—including apples, pears, purple daikon and watermelon—to create a desiccated substrate reminiscent of woven papyrus. She assembles thin, translucent pieces into collaged forms that range from figurative tableaux to abstract gradients. The solo exhibition Picker at Chatham Soccer presented these works across multiple walls, pairing a playful troupe of dancer forms with more ordered, gradient arrangements. The venue’s yellow concrete walls and wood paneling lend a cellar-like ambiance that complements the preserved, seasonal quality of the material. Additional examples of the work are available on her website and Instagram.

Read at Colossal