exhibition
statement
For sculptor Jennifer McCandless, the root of the most pressing global crises of our time - rampant socioeconomic inequality, the slow and steady undermining of democratic systems, environmental destruction, persecution of marginalized communities, social isolation... the list goes on - can be traced back to one grand episode of collective denial. In an era of hyphenated identities, 'animal' is the one we choose most often to omit. McCandless reckons we've gone to dangerous lengths to prove our separateness from and superiority over the natural world, employing well-established patterns of extraction, exploitation, and domination to distance ourselves from our animal roots.
Seamlessly blending elaborately fantastical elements with readily recognizable forms, McCandless' ceramic sculptures employ the full spectrum of humor - from the silly to the uncomfortable and grotesque - to build conversational access points. Whether through layered visual metaphors or by literally 'shrinking down' the scale of influential figures both real and imagined, McCandless embraces the toolkit of magical realism and endless possibilities of clay to impose a modicum of power over a range of unpalatable contemporary topics. You're An Animal provides an opportunity for viewers to more readily engage with challenging subject matter while not so subtly reminding us that we're all just animals... and we'd be better off not to forget it again.
about the artist
is a Detroit native now living and sculpting in Burlington, VT. Her current work is a collection of ceramic sculptures using humor and satirical narratives to challenge the viewer’s perspectives on constructions of identity and societal norms. The pieces offer a social critique of how we interpret the ills of the world, how we interact with one another, and how we see ourselves. The artist’s fascination with human behavior is cultivated in the study of figure and grounded in satirical narrative.
McCandless received her BFA in Sculpture from Parsons School of Art and Design and her MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has taught Ceramics and Sculpture at Wayne State University and The Loomis Institute. Most recently, McCandless served as Art Department Chair, Curator and Director of the Mercy Gallery at Loomis where she was also a Nichols Fellow in Art.