Color Theory: The Prismatic Tunnel Vision of Jen Stark
A sculpture or painting created by Jen Stark often functions as a vehicle—an entry point to some technicolor dreamworld. Recent work extends toward the viewer with such viscerality—especially in the case of the recent “30 Cubed”—that it carries a transient quality from rigid, geometric edges to something far more alien and malformed. But the Los Angeles-based artist reminds us that the roots of all of these patterns and hues run deep into our own natural world, whether in mimicking fractals found in crystal formations, or luminosity akin to deep-sea dwellers. And as much as her work seems like it would require intense, insular focus, a hike through nature is as instructive as any other source of inspiration.
Today, it’s a regular part of her process to get “outside of the studio,” she says, on one of humanity’s longest-standing modes of inspiration: a jaunt among the trees. “This way, I come back energized and with new ideas. I enjoy thinking about how the ancient Greek polymath Archimedes made a huge discovery while he was relaxing and taking a bath. The more his body sank into the water, the more water would be displaced, and accidentally discovered the measurement of volume. When there are times I feel stuck or have artist’s block, I look for outside inspiration and mental breaks to help my creativity.”
The effective universality resulting from this approach is evident, in the long list of venues that have played host to Stark over the past decade: England, Thailand, Canada, and so on. This year represented yet another seismic step forward for the artist, both professionally and within her personal practice.
The 2019 Joshua Liner show, titled Dimensionality, offered a robust survey of the varying modes that interest Stark. Paintings, sculptures, installations, and a major mural comprised the program. “As the exhibition title suggests, Stark plays with painting and sculpture by adding or accentuating the dimensions of her work, often transforming two-dimensional objects into three-dimensional ones,” the gallery said. “‘Squared,’ which is composed of thirty-five square sheets of powder coated aluminum, inhabits the wall like a painting. Each sheet is painted a different color and has a concentric square fold that extends outside the picture plane towards the viewer.”
As simple as her experiments may appear when first approached, her pieces function like that of her hue-obsessed predecessors, from Sol Lewitt to Yayoi Kusama. One must spend time with it;let it envelop you and transport you to a more ancient awareness of color and form. (It’s no surprise Ernst Haeckel, the multi-talented, turn-of-the-century figure who named thousands of new species while also innovating scientific art, is also among her influences.)
Still, misconceptions continue for even the longest-standing pursuits of Stark’s practice: “Lots of people don’t realize that I hand-cut all the paper sculptures,” she says. “They think a machine or laser cutter does it, and can’t believe someone would or could cut it by hand. Also sometimes people, think I’m a big acidhead or pothead because of my imagery. While I do occasionally dabble, I came up with the basis for my artwork long before I was ever introduced to these kinds of altered states. I think those shapes and feelings are already inside of us, waiting to come out. Psychedelics just make it more obvious.”
I believe that light travels, and with that, images from moments in time can move through space…”
If you’re able to outrun it, you’re able to see the past and ‘time travel.’ I’m fascinated by these types of unsolved questions.”
And as much as her pieces function as transports, Stark is still in the middle of her own journey. In a 2016 interview, she mentioned that she had only began to engage in meditation in a serious manner that year. A statement offers a window into the concepts unlocked in this searching: “[Her] art is driven by her interest in conceptualizing visual systems to simulate plant growth, evolution, innity, fractals, mimetic topographies, and sacred geometries. Using available materials—paper, wood, metal, paint—Stark strives to make work that balances on a razor’s edge of optical seduction and perceptual engagement.”
“Meditation definitely helped me dive a bit deeper into my subconscious and discover new ideas,” Stark says today. “At the beginning of my career, I was creating these patterns and shapes without really realizing why; and through time, I realized more and more it is a connection with nature and sacred geometry that I’m moving and evolving towards. Delving deeper into my own brain and the mysteries of the psychedelic and spiritual world help my work keep expanding and growing over time.”
As Stark’s practice continues down this path, the inner life becomes a vital counterbalance to the outdoor scenes that consistently beckon and inspire Stark. Like her recent sculptures, one must traverse inside and outside the portal to find any truth about what it means to live in this one, temporary place. *
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