Jennifer Celio
Please scream inside your heart, 2020
48 x 28 x 6 inches
Burlap coffee bag; suede belt; metal pendants; thread; gold cord; chain
ARTIST STATEMENT:
I’m interested in exploring how the natural world factors into the daily human experience while also provoking conversation about rampant consumption and waste and larger unsustainable human practices. Through the lens of the aesthetics and culture of 1970s and ‘80s Southern California, my sculptural work intertwines these historical markers with my personal story to craft narratives that are simultaneously personal and universal.
Through assemblage sculptures, mixed media paintings, and sculptural installations, I weave disparate materials and techniques into compositions that illustrate tension between natural and artificial, organic and constructed, wilderness and human civilization. While the works include trash, scraps, and personal affects in order to minimize my use of new materials, the unknown history and usage of these objects subtly adds layers of meaning to each piece. The constructs of interior design and architecture form a figurative landscape that contrasts and interacts with literal and symbolic references to the land, wildlife, and ecosystems.
Like many others, I recognize that environmental justice and conservation is an issue that crosses all boundaries and affects everyone on the planet. I believe my current body of work can engage with the public as a matter of urgent necessity about our disconnect from nature and its direct result in the overarching global risk of climate change. Rather than beat the viewer over the head with the message, my work gets under the skin via symbolic juxtapositions and re-use of discarded objects.
Jennifer Celio
EYL (enjoy your life!) , 2020
67 x 28 x 24 inches
Pencil on canvas; found hand statue; paper; cords; wood shelves; denim; found pin; scrap wood; ashtray; acrylic on a pencil; glitter on safety goggles; chain and metal hardware
Jennifer Celio
After we return, we vanquish , 2020
74 x 46 x 37 inches
acrylic and Flashe on canvas; wrapping paper; scrap wood; found beach trash diary and cigarette pack; rope; metal bracket and hook