Jennifer Thoreson, Testament

September 5–29, 2019
First Thursday opening reception: September 5, 6:00–9:00 PM
Artist talk with Jennifer Thoreson: Thursday, September 5, 5:00 PM

Blue Sky Gallery 
122 NW 8th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97209 USA
503-225-0210
Tuesday – Sunday, 12 – 5 pm
First Thursday 6 – 9 pm
bluesky@blueskygallery.org
http://www.blueskygallery.org/
All Blue Sky events and programs are free and open to the public.

“I like to know and feel the moment where people fall apart, and saturate my work in it. I am seeking the moment of relief, and relishing in the moments just before it occurs.”

Jennifer Thoreson’s series Testament is an exploration of resilience, dependency, the burdens we carry as human beings, and the yearning for release. Set in a house that Thoreson rented for a year, the images manifest psychological struggles as vast, crawling sculptural masses, which the artist fabricated using materials such as wool, linen, clay, and human hair. Conceived through a spiritual lens, the photographs borrow symbolic language from the Bible. They take particular inspiration from Matthew 11:28, a verse that reads: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

The content of Thoreson’s images reflects her curiosity about human nature. She states, “I am attracted to vulnerability, to peeling back a skin that reveals something precious, dark, and tender. I am drawn to moments where people are on an edge, barely laced together, befriending disaster, remembering something, or exposing something.”

Jennfer Thoreson is a photographer and installation artist currently based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her artistic process includes fabricating abstract objects, arranging architectural spaces, and staging furnishings and models to create deeply personal and engaging pieces. Thoreson plays many roles, including photographer, teacher, lecturer, and mother. Her work has been shown in collections both nationally and internationally. Through her art, she invites the viewer into a process of self-renewal as she explores the intricacies of human relationships and the ways that brokenness can give way to redemption and healing.