Jesse Zuo: My Safe Place

LATITUDE Gallery is proud to present My Safe Place: Warmth of the Light and Shadow, the solo exhibition by emerging artist Jesse Zuo, opening this November in New York. Jesse has garnered attention for her profound exploration of female identity, bodily significance, and inner strength. In this tranquil sanctuary—this space the artist has named My Safe Place—women are not hyper-idealized “independent heroines” or symbols of aggressive power. Instead, they are self-sufficient beings, residing in their own worlds and displaying a strength in their gentleness and intimacy—a freedom that belongs truly to them.

These works invite viewers to reconsider the meaning of the female body, which within the contemporary society has increasingly become a subject filled with choices and autonomy. Are these choices genuinely ours or are they a “false freedom” crafted by pre-existing gender structures? My Safe Place reveals how, in a world laden with labels and scrutiny, women can resist definitions and embark on a path of self-exploration, pushing back against the constraints of gendered expectations.

The women portrayed in these paintings are private, self-contained, and unadorned. They embody not an “idealized independence” but the essence of those who, though imperfect, seek to navigate the world with self-acceptance. Each painting reflects these moments of tranquility, where the subjects are not performing or conforming but simply existing in their own skin. This authenticity is what the artist aims to portray—an unfiltered joy that arises when one is truly connected to themselves and the world around them.

The artist’s works narrating how women gradually journey towards self-discovery and embrace their true selves beneath sunlight, through the veil of night, amidst mist, and in shadow and light. Each painting is an unspoken soliloquy—a quiet confession of self, like the warm, lingering intoxication of a summer afternoon, the flush of skin, and the deep resonance of inner reverie. The delicate textures, the curves softly hinted beneath garments, all speak to a reconciliation with the self.

In this serene, warm gallery, the viewer is invited to witness each fleeting moment—the resilience of "Leather and Sandalwood," the casual allure of "Homestyle Jazz Club," the luminous tenderness of "Languid Summer." They exist in different scenes, whole unto themselves, ordinary yet unique, as if every inch of skin tells a slow, tender story, tinged with a touch of youthful shyness and defiance. Their quiet, everyday postures remind us that power need not be loud; it can flourish within subtlety and softness.

In the past, the female image was shaped by the male gaze to represent obedience and gentleness, while ambition was seen as rebellion. The artist transcends this limiting perspective, presenting women with unbounded agency to set their own rules. My Safe Place is more than a metaphor for a personal refuge; women here are free to embody strength and assertiveness or to embrace delicacy and nuance—a liberated self-expression that arises from shedding all labels and embracing true selfhood.