Jesse Gouveia's work circles the intersection of ritual, fixation on memory, and the individually inaugurated systems we use to mediate our autobiographical reality. In the exhibition Plaid, Gouveia rebuilds the same forts he assembled in adolescence, recreating the solitary construction of a hiding place. Preserved in photographs, highlighting forms and objects associated with his early life; Gouveia considers the spatial and material contexts we use to understand the imprinted layers of recollection, while grappling with how to fully identify emotional truths. The exhibition additionally includes a singular sculptural work that replicates a doorway from Gouveia’s childhood home. Using a durational sequence of light, gradually filling with illumination, the piece cycles a visual lifespan of development and memory, mirroring the passage of time that was measured and inscribed on the door frame in ink, names, and dates over the course of decades.

Reflecting on how childhood compulsions translate into adult fixations, Gouveia's work exposes developmental pillars and ties into broader themes of singularity, collective consciousness, along with a deeply reflective examination of control and the anticipation of grief. For Gouveia, the practice of recording and rebuilding mirrors the cycles of present life. The exhibition Plaid examines the intricacies of memory in its innocence, but also its transition into obsession, revealing the evolving nature of our self-perception.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Through the consideration of patterns of habit, memory, and collecting, Jesse Gouveia’s (b. 1992) practice examines the way we recollect our past and how we graph and archive mental records. From recreation to documentation, Gouveia steps between dimensions of memory and reconstruction.

Gouveia’s recent exhibitions include Photography Then, anonymous gallery, New York (2023), Artsy: Higher Power curated by K.O. Nnamdie, Brothers @ Benefit Auction, New York (2021), First Impressions, anonymous gallery, New York (2021). Recent press include Office Magazine (2023), The New York Times (2023), and Paper Magazine (2023). Gouveia’s photography has been featured in Interview Magazine (2022), Vogue (2022), and Financial Times (2021).