Suite 100 Gallery is pleased to announce "Grew," the solo show of Jessixa.
These most recent works explore the complicated and dynamic forced evolution of society starting with childhood. Jessixa uses her recognizable skilled hand at illustrating the sometimes comical and consistently thought-provoking icons associated with elementary school days and the natural force of the growing tree. The artist explains, “We are taught that going to school is a natural part of our culture; that it is crucial to our growth as people. We are taught to embrace this process, feel safe in it, and quickly find our place in it.”
Jessixa's statement on "Grew":
I have a nostalgic love for icons from my young childhood. Those comforting images, feelings and smells of my primary school days are still something I hold fondly in my memories. We are taught going to school is a natural part of our culture; that it is crucial to our growth as people. We are taught to embrace this process, feel safe in it, and quickly find our place in it. Elementary school is the stepping-stone to which we are placed into a formal system of rules. Just as in nature a tree grows starting as a seedling, in our world, this is our first step towards growth. In the series Grew I am creating a playful dialogue between the “natural” components of life. What is natural to us is performing and growing within a system; while in a more organic sense, we grow regardless of these systems. Both forms, one created by the Earth the other created by man, are meant to connect the viewer to a past familiarity and evoke a conversation about growing. Also, by using leafless trees and a somber palette I clash adult overtones with the youthful and whimsical subject matter. This combination of contradictory elements creates a sense of irony within the viewer-we are reminded of the icons of youth byway of an adult perspective. Comparing the context of these images allows me to explore the humor of where we come from.
