2 x 2 Solos: Ernest Jolly

2 x 2 Solos is a series of solo exhibitions featuring new work commissioned from four accomplished emerging artists based in the Oakland/Bay Area.

Ernest Jolly’s installation, Outside Influence, seeks to create a bridge between Pro Arts' gallery and the public life of the plaza outside. The work encompasses two architecturally-inspired domes evoking sacred and civic constructions. In removing one of the gallery's walls, Jolly opens up the work's visibility, allowing it to speak directly to the storied Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. The installation beckons visitors to enter it and activate this node for coming together. In so doing, the work frames the experience of the existing site, throws its visible historical layers into relief, and projects a possible future of being together, enacted in the present through collective visitor engagement.

About the Artist: Ernest Jolly's practice addresses the overlapping social, spatial, and technological systems affecting the industrial city and nature through time, projecting a critical and aspirational view of potential futures. He creates dynamic environments through sculptural forms, video/sound installation, and collaboration with performers. Originally from Cleveland, this Oakland-based artist has an MFA from Mills College. He has exhibited his work at the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery and Gallery 555 for the Oakland Museum of California. Currently, as Artistic Director for the Kiandanda Dance Theater, he is designing stage environments for a performance at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

About the Curator: E. Maude Haak-Frendscho is an Oakland-based curator, writer, and editor. She holds an MA in Urban Studies from the San Francisco Art Institute. As Program Coordinator at Headlands Center for the Arts, she is responsible for the development and administration of the Affiliate Artists Program, Alumni New Works, and Workshops. She was previously the co-editor and co-founder of DRIFT: A Magazine of West Coast Cultural Production, a multidisciplinary print venue.