Dora Jeridi’s painting practice resonates with the improvisational spirit of music, particularly jazz. Influenced by Coltrane, Jeridi draws inspiration from how jazz musicians challenge listeners, pushing them to the edge of comprehension—teetering on the verge of losing the melody entirely. Just as the listener, or in this case the viewer, begins to drift away, a familiar motif emerges, grounding them once more.
In Jazz Fear, this dynamic is reflected in the central motif of the mouth, a recurring element in Jeridi’s work. Here, it dominates the warped face at the heart of the canvas. Recognizable yet distorted, it serves as an anchor for the viewer, pulling them back into the work. Yet, its ambiguity lingers: is the figure singing, screaming, crying, or calling out? This uncertainty echoes themes of speech and communication, which are engulfed by the energetic movement of the composition.
Subtle nods to Rothko frame these abstractions, as Jeridi continues to explore the process of stripping back and layering, creating tension between clarity and obscurity. The result is a visual rhythm, as dynamic and unpredictable as jazz itself.