Opening reception: Friday, August 7, 5:30 - 8 pm

Steven Zevitas Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Chris Ballantyne. The exhibition will be on view through August 29, 2026, with a reception on August 7, 2026 from 5:30 - 8 pm. 

Chris Ballantyne’s practice exists at the intersection of the natural world and man-made interventions. Each work is painted directly onto wooden panels, allowing thinned acrylic paint to seep into the grain, while thicker applications rest on the surface. This interplay of materials mirrors the works' central tension: the convergence of natural and organic materials.

Though the paintings evoke a palpable human presence, figures are never depicted. Instead, traces of erosion, synthetic structures, and spatial demarcations allude to human intervention and manufacturing. Yet even within these constructed environments, wildlife unrelentingly pushes back. Grass reclaims an empty concrete pool, reaching its roots toward the basin below; overgrown foliage engulfs a backyard fence, disregarding its attempted confinement; and a vibrant green weed emerges from the center of a meticulously-sectioned displacement of dirt. Across Ballantyne's work, the natural world resists containment, quietly but relentlessly reclaiming spaces shaped by human hands.