Winter Sun

Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Marais presents "Winter Sun", an exhibition of new paintings by American artist Jordan Casteel, marking her first exhibition in France and her most significant showing in Europe to date. Created in the first half of 2026, the works utilize a cool, earthy palette inspired by winter light, reflecting on themes of dormancy and renewal, hope and grief, love and loss, and light and darkness. The exhibition features figurative portraits, landscapes, and botanical works that explore Casteel’s ongoing observations of kinship, place, and transition.

Casteel’s practice focuses on the monumentalization of the collective, offering intimate encounters that reflect her commitment to community. Her subjects, drawn from her surroundings, often highlight people of color to map and honor the social landscape and artistic history of her environment. The portraits depict family, friends, and strangers, while works like "before your time" from her "Subway Series" explore themes of mortality and survival. Casteel cites Alice Neel and Beauford Delaney as influences, employing a coloristic approach that centers emotional presence over strict realism.