NADA Miami: Jack Penny

Dan Yoshii is pleased to announce the solo presentation of Jack Penny’s work at NADA Miami 2025. This marks Penny’s inaugural participation in an art fair, a pivotal moment of reflection and experimentation in the artist’s evolving practice. Known for his theatrical and lively series, Penny brings together multiple strands of his oeuvre for the first time, creating a dialogue between past and present - between familiar motifs and bold new directions.

This new body of work revisits Penny’s enduring preoccupations with control, freedom, vulnerability, and the feeling of being in the “wrong place at the wrong time.” Balancing slapstick humor with a subtle sense of unease, works unfold like candid snapshots of human contradiction, where levity meets tension and comedy becomes a vehicle for confronting deeper emotional truths. Recurring symbols such as sunglasses, uniforms, and subtly repeated details act as visual anchors that unify the works while still allowing each piece to stand on its own.

Rejecting the idea of total harmony, Penny approaches every canvas as an “island” that develops freely, unbound by the expectation of consistency. Shifting between oil and acrylic, raw canvas and fine linen, he embraces the unpredictability of materials and process, allowing chance and instinct to guide the outcome.

This series will comprise of thirteen large-scale paintings and sixteen works on paper. Each new painting begins with a burst of rapid, exploratory sketches in which Penny experiments with ideas, gestures, and rhythm. These drawings, compelling artworks in their own right, lay the foundation for the narratives that unfold on canvas. Transitioning from paper to painting, Penny translates the immediacy of his gestures into expansive compositions, maintaining the energy and spontaneity of his initial movements throughout the completed paintings.

At once playful and introspective, Penny’s latest works capture the delicate balance between chaos and control, inviting viewers to look closer, laugh lightly, and recognize themselves within the absurdity of modern life.

Although NADA Miami will be Penny’s first fair presentation, his work has been exhibited in international cities including London, Berlin, St. Moritz, Madrid, Hong Kong, Aix-en-Provence, and New York.