Jake Michael Singer’s inherent paradox of the knowers of the field.

Jake Michael Singer’s nostalgic sculpture work remarks on an inherent paradox. His latest showcase is a new evolution of his Murmurations series, diversifying the transdisciplinary artist’s practice that centres around materiality, myth and catharsis. The solo exhibition is on display at THK Gallery in Cape Town with sculptures curated over two floors to embody the human experience and reflect the aspects of his process that bring his work to life. 

The show is a homage to Singer’s father who passed away when he was very young, hence the title, We Will Meet Again in the Field. These powerful sculptures bridge the gap between child-like beauty and aged strength achieved through the material construction. Singer’s use of welding industrial wires, traditionally used for fencing, remarks on an inherent paradox of division and incarceration through a harmony of soothing colour and composition. Welding brings things together; wire forces people apart. While the show’s basis is one of loss, Singer has managed to unite an ineffable spirit in these mystical figures. In the words of Ashraf Jamal, “Singer’s work is ever gestural, never nominal. His sculptures and paintings speak to our mortality — the field we long to return to, from which we might be forever exiled, or to which we might return. This lack of certainty is not speculative openness; it is the artist’s fundament. How protective is belief? In a maelstrom, is it not better to abandon what holds one prisoner?”