Esther Ruiz & Vincent Szarek

This summer, CHART presents Esther Ruiz & Vincent Szarek, a two-person exhibition of new light-activated sculptural works. The exhibition opens Friday, June 12 with a reception from 6–8pm, and remains on view through August 2026. Both artists have previously exhibited with CHART.

Working with distinct materials, the artists share a precise, process-driven approach to form. While Ruiz works with lines and organic shapes, Szarek builds through continuous curves; within each set of constraints, small shifts generate a wide range of outcomes. Both artists developed their practices through hands-on fabrication: Ruiz in a neon studio and Szarek in automobile restoration, experiences that continue to shape their material decisions and processes.

In this presentation, Ruiz’s sculptures combine neon with materials such as concrete, plexiglass, and glass. Beginning with sketches and digital renderings, she moves through trial and error as she pushes the boundaries of the material. Each work requires a high degree of precision: components must align exactly to hold together, resolving a series of technical and formal challenges.

Szarek’s wall-mounted sculptural paintings are constructed through a laborious process of layering, sanding, and refinement. Derived from his drawings using the ogee curve, a formula for a continuous S-curve, his bilaterally symmetrical forms pursue an ideal of smoothness and visual perfection. Their highly polished surfaces appear fluid, registering light and surrounding space while revealing the care and precision of their making.

Across the exhibition, reflection and colored light activate the space. Szarek’s reflective surfaces catch Ruiz’s neon, while Ruiz’s light traces Szarek’s curves. Through their interplay, form is constructed and perceived in relation to light, each work shaped through a focused process of adjustment and resolution.