Archipelago at ADA Gallery
| Nov-Dec 2011 |
Archipelago was a solo exhibition of new work at ADA Gallery in Richmond, VA, which ran from Nov. 26th - Dec. 31st 2011.
Archipelago was reviewed by arts writer Amy Ritchie in Richmond's alternative paper, Style: "Fantastic Voyages: ADA Plays Host to the Dream Works of Jenny Kendler,"
PRESS RELEASE: In Archipelago, Kendler’s intricate works suggest the possibility of a visceral and intimate relationship with nature. Cross-pollinating drawing, sculpture and installation, Kendler employs the visual languages of fragility, complexity and ornamentation to echo the mysterious relationships of the natural world.
The stories in Kendler’s work are like those found in nature: enigmatic half-narratives -- often deeply uncanny. Her work reminds us that no matter how close we keep it, nature always surprises. As products of our environment, that strangeness is also within us.
The main body of work in the show, Kendler’s detailed watercolor drawings of ‘islands’ give the show its title Archipelago. Upon each floating landscape, an ecosystem’s story is played out. These islands of earth recall the uniqueness and fragility of our own planet, itself just an island suspended in the Milky Way.
Kendler has also created a series of sculptural objects culled from these drawn environments. Pennants commemorating extinct animals appear in the drawings as well as in the gallery space, made from brass and translucent film. Their filigree cut-outs of extinct species cast lacy shadows on the wall.
Other works in Archipelago include a drawing which hangs in the center of the gallery: a 15 ft. circular ring of translucent film depicting an arctic ecosystem out of balance. In the corner of the gallery is an installation based on the elaborate and colorful constructions of bower birds, the only animals know to make aesthetic choices to impress their mates.
With Archipelago, Kendler asks not just how do we as human beings affect nature, but how does nature affect us? She suggests that if we lose our connection to nature, then the human experience becomes impoverished. If we lose the wild, we may also lose the wildness within ourselves.
ADA GALLERY
228 W Broad St
Richmond, VA 23220
PH: 804.644.0100
For more information contact Gallery Director John Pollard at info@adagallery.com
