Freight + Volume is pleased to present an exhibition of work by Jorge K. Cruz and Elizabeth Insogna entitled Divine Myth—Faith and Flesh. This show brings together two artists whose lyrical gestures and attention to allegory present a sensual and spiritual perspective that questions the viewer's preconceived notions of past portrayal and embodiment. The artists each engage with subversion, which tends to transform traditional representations or beliefs by examining inherited myths, as well as creating space materially and metaphorically. Both artists tether the line between past and present—from what was to what is uniquely contemporaneous. Through deconstruction their work claims that what was a commonly held belief may permutate into a revolutionized beginning.

Linked by symbolism, the liquified compositions of Cruz and repetitive hieroglyphs as well as auroral deities of Insogna, focus on mythical truths and luminescence. Attempting to sanctify space and investigate tradition, their abstract and impressionistic paintings and ceramics blur the figure and imbue it with meaning. A process of transformation is delineated in their works by way of distorted images and layering of paint and clay. These visual mnemonics address the changing autobiographies of human existence, the grand narratives which have been passed down through generations yet are shaped by topical desires. Their work opens space for building on illusion and tradition.

Jorge K. Cruz’s vivid paintings resonate with an elevated potency placing himself at the vanguard of a new history, that is perhaps beckoned by his personal story --that being tied to a postcolonial nation a well as an antiquated art historical precedent of still lifes, hunting scenes, and religious imagery. He often asks what he could have in common with old masters if they were his contemporaries, but this is where he begins to separate himself from the simulacra often appearing as reference. By transgressing archetypal figures and their surroundings, he explores what is personal and universally relevant.

Cruz has probed and reframed the vernacular of the Dutch Baroque such as Frans Snyders or Paul de Vos, as well as Ecuadorian Quito School painter Manuel de Samaniego, according to a intrinsic subjectivity. Citing contemporary inspirations as diverse as Jennifer Packer, Oswald Guayasamín, and Willem de Kooning, Cruz’s aim in tandem is to employ abstraction that shifts the viewer’s focus to question historical legacies of images. Some have become paradigms of colonization—from the imposition of religion to the brash display of aggressive competition. His disruptions to what was informed by capitalism emerge as altered forms and drizzling lines of color, challenging previous representations.

Elizabeth Insogna, whose practice is based in Occult ritualism that inclusively creates sacred queer and feminist space, offers a reconfigured way of seeing which is beyond traditional religious archetypal belief. The work presents a re-understanding of truths, re-making and giving significance through sculpture and art. It also acts to uncover meaning and create connection with the divine. Sculptures presented emerge from research on ancient systems of ritual, power, and transformation. By evoking the space with ancient deities through sculpture, the artist manifests form out of obscurity.

With reference to ancient Greco-Roman ritual specifically, the concept of τελεστική (telestikê) which invokes statues with living spirits is central to the work in the exhibition. Being between worlds, the vessels symbolize liminality. The work acts as a pillar—between them is another lacuna, constructed sacred space informed by care of movement and the gaze. Depictions of hybrid being and serpents appear repeatedly, perhaps to further conjure the animated presence of the receptacles. Carved elements are created through meditative automatic drawing, a ritualistic method begetting transformation with performance. The ceramic intermediaries could be portals to other dimensions, future, and ancient past.

Jorge K. Cruz (b. 1995, Guayaquil, Ecuador) lives and works in Queens, NY. His work was included in group exhibitions such as Breakthrough at James Fuentes, New York, NY (2023), and Figurative Impressions at Hurst Contemporary, London, UK (2024). Cruz participated in the Tracey Emin Artist Residency, Margate, Kent, England (2023– 24), and his work has been featured in Artnet News and FAD Magazine.

Elizabeth Insogna (b. 1980, New York, NY) received her MFA from Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY, and her BFA in Sculpture from SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY. Her work, which spans ceramic sculpture, installation, and ritual performance, has appeared in solo and two-person exhibitions at Tappeto Volante Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (2024); FiveMyles, Brooklyn, NY (2022); Underdonk, Brooklyn, NY (2022); and RAR Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2013). She has also been included in group exhibitions at Bill Arning Exhibitions, Kinderhook, NY (2024); Field of Play Gallery, New York, NY (2023); and The National Arts Club, New York, NY (2021). Her work has been featured in The Brooklyn Rail, Hyperallergic, Two Coats of Paint, Artsy, and Huffington Post. Insogna lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.