My work will be shown at Volta NYC with KOURI + CORRAO, a Santa Fe-based contemporary art gallery dedicated to increasing the overall visibility of emerging and mid-career artists to international collectors and institutions.
My statement about this body of work, which I call Shadow Jewels:
I spent the spring and summer of 2021 in ritual tracing a memory on the acequias near my home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I unwound a wound at all times of day and into the night - I paused to climb the trees, listen to the leaves whisper golden sorrow, watch the water sparkle in the shifting green glow, trespass into fields known and unknown, and deepened my relationship with natural forms, my cultural identity, and my spirit allies. I traversed borders and re-engaged with fragments I had lost. I faced terror seeing into the depths of me in this nomadic state, and encountered terror’s twin: ecstasy. I found that my shadow is a jewel in the Back of Beyond and that the light is birthed in the depths of and illuminates the shadow habitat. This work is the result of these journeys between 이승 (this world, i-seung) and 저승 (that world, jeo-seung).
From Volta:
"Korean-American artist Jen Pack's work embodies a unique space between painting and sculpture. Utilizing fabric and thread to construct art that is simultaneously architectural and whimsical, Pack challenges the viewer to reconsider the artistic products associated with traditional feminine craft while referencing masculine heritage.
This new body of work of vibrantly colored thread and fabric embroidered on black vellum, and sewn swaths stretched over poplar frames embraces a re-emergence from darker times – one that illuminates light amongst the shadows. Each piece of vellum is framed with double paned museum glass, which allows ambient light to emit from within. The frame also encases the excess thread and remnants at the bottom of the frame, seemingly breaking the 2D work into 3D territory. A minimalist solo presentation of works on vellum and stretched fabric works allow Pack's delicate color exploration to shine."