Martha Jungwirth Sessel, 2022

Jungwirth’s schematic chair is a recurring motif throughout her œuvre, as well as the wider history of art, including Vincent van Gogh’s iconic Chair (1888) painted in Arles with its pendant piece by Paul Gauguin. A symbolically charged object, the chair often serves as a metonym for its occupant. Jungwirth’s considered strokes of vivid pink seem to cut through the vast expanse of brown paper onto which she paints. Her chair is almost life-size, confronting viewers as the sole burst of colour amidst the empty, monumental support. The whirling, dashing paint is tempered by the large expanses of ground Jungwirth leaves bare, for free space is as important to her as colour.