Let's Dance: Jackie Braitman & Joanathan Ribaillier

August 3 – November 21, 2021

Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 22nd, 4-8PM

At 1111 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20004

Jackie Braitman’s sculptures capture the tension of motion – and her favorite subject is the grace and athleticism of the female dancer. There is a moment in any dance where the dancer feels suspended in mid-air. And we all know intuitively what the next motion must be to prevent her from falling. Braitman captures that fluid motion in a static sculpture. Braitman’s latest series -- Momentum -- uses a mix of abstract and realistic elements within the same sculpture to explore the geometry of motion and attitude. These sculptures are each life-size or slightly larger with inspiration drawn from the music of empowerment anthems. The series – in wood or steel – celebrates everyday superwomen.

For the prior 15 years, Braitman built a design/build practice that integrated sculpture, landscape design, and architectural design. Braitman is enthralled by the power and grace of the human body in motion and completely absorbed by the challenge of capturing that essence in a static sculpture. Experimenting with material, scale and form is what helped her in this exploration. These ideas came together in 2014 when Braitman was commission to create a memorial sculpture of the late Godfather of Go-Go, Chuck Brown titled “Wind Me Up, Chuck” in the Chuck Brown Memorial Park in Washington DC.

Joanathan Ribaillier moved to the District of Columbia from France, where he was born and grew up. He currently works with antique maps (from roughly 1920 to 1970) which he uses because of their color and texture but also because, they symbolize the roads people travel and their journeys and struggles for a better life. He uses maps as his medium because he spent his childhood around these objects in Lyon’s largest flea market where his family members had stands. As an immigrant working in Washington D.C., he brings a unique multicultural perspective to projects. “My work presently consists of cutting portraits and other images into several maps and layering them to create depth and texture with the geographic specificities of each map”

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Zenith Gallery, 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, United States