Jen Pack – I am a cube!, 2012 – 58 ½” x 58 ½” x 3 1/2″ – chiffon/thread/wood
JEN PACK: UnQuiet Chroma
November 3 – December 15, 2012
PRESS RELEASE : For Immediate Release
Taylor De Cordoba is pleased to present UnQuiet Chroma, a solo exhibition of new works by Colorado- based artist Jen Pack. The exhibition will run from November 3 – December 15, 2012 with an opening reception for the artist on Saturday, November 3rd from 6 – 8PM.
UnQuiet Chroma is a reference to the artist’s unique perception of color. From a young age, Pack sensed she could feel or hear colors, an extra sense beyond the visual. This synesthesia, or union of senses, is undoubtedly a primary motivator for the artist and explains her intense focus on color in her abstract textile collages.
The finished work is the result of dualities in process, materials and perception. It begins with
disassembly and reassembly. The artist starts by machine stitching together strips of vividly-hued chiffon, moshi fabric and cotton. This is a quiet meditative exercise, a process familiar and comfortable for the artist, who grew up seeing her mother and sisters sewing in the home. With so many pieces of varying thicknesses and elasticities sewn together, the result is an unruly assemblage of texture.
Next the artist begins to stretch the fabric onto a wooden frame, a process of intense physicality, yielding sweat, sore thumbs and shoulders for the artist, and sometimes rips and tears for the fabric collage. The stretching begins to tame and smooth out the fabric. Unexpected variations in how sections respond to the force of stretching can create the most interesting parts of the work. Often the piece will require multiple stretchings, until the surface is smooth and the pattern emerges.
The finished work has the appearance of digital pixelation, belying the rigorous and tactile hand-crafted quality of the work. There is a tension as the process emerges as “too clean” and the hand of the artist is superseded by precision. For Pack, it is on that edge where the work “sings”.
Jen Pack lives and works in Durango, Colorado. She received her BFA from Art Center College of
Design in Pasadena, CA in 1997 and her MLIS from San Jose State University in 2008. Reviews of her
work have appeared in New American Paintings, ArtWeek, Art LTD and The Los Angeles Times among
others.
Taylor De Cordoba is located at 2660 S. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. 310.559.9156
