Joan Bankemper: Flora and Fauna in Flux
On December 9, 2021 an exhibition of new work entitled 鈥淔lora and Fauna in Flux鈥� by Joan Bankemper opens at Nancy Hoffman, continuing through January 22, 2022. The artist began this series at the start of the pandemic with ink drawings, on pages from her daily journal (written in isolation) that she calls her 鈥淧od Series.鈥� The drawings began at an intimate scale of 22 x 17 inches and blossomed into a larger, bolder format approximately 44 x 32 inches. Pod is a word with many meanings: it is an elongated seed encased in an outer shell; it is a protective container; or a small, designated group of people. As the Covid crisis began we were all advised to isolate at home, or to stay within a limited 鈥減od鈥� of people we could trust to be safe. Thus, the 鈥淧od 鈥� is a vital element of Flora and Fauna in Flux. The flower is a recurring image in this series, as is the maze. The flower is about rebirth, nature, and the artist鈥檚 flourishing garden on the farm where she lives. The maze represents the days and months of the pandemic, finding a way out. The use of black and white ink represents for the artist what we were and are all missing during the Covid crisis, the colors of life.
Her new ceramic sculptures in black and white are in dialogue with the drawings, round plate-like forms are glazed with bold black lines: flowers, circles, cross hatch, mazes and more. These sculptures are a love letter to the rapidly changing environment. The absence of color is a memorial to species and habitats that are in flux due to the changing climate. Hand-built morning glories are white striped in black. Fantasies abound in these sculptures in clay. Hidden among the flowers are the artist鈥檚 signature birds and bees. Caterpillars painted with stripes not unlike the morning glories, also garnished with spots and dots are happy little creatures, symbols of transformation. Bankemper鈥檚 glazing of her ceramics calls to mind Cecil Beaton鈥檚 black and white costumes in the Ascot scene of My fair Lady, the whimsy, the over-the-topness of dress, the joy of life expressed in couture. Bankemper manifests that same joy in her sculpture; there is a formality to the work that contrasts with the informality and directness of the drawings. There is a sense of humor and irony in these poignant works.
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On December 9, 2021 an exhibition of new work entitled 鈥淔lora and Fauna in Flux鈥� by Joan Bankemper opens at Nancy Hoffman, continuing through January 22, 2022. The artist began this series at the start of the pandemic with ink drawings, on pages from her daily journal (written in isolation) that she calls her 鈥淧od Series.鈥� The drawings began at an intimate scale of 22 x 17 inches and blossomed into a larger, bolder format approximately 44 x 32 inches. Pod is a word with many meanings: it is an elongated seed encased in an outer shell; it is a protective container; or a small, designated group of people. As the Covid crisis began we were all advised to isolate at home, or to stay within a limited 鈥減od鈥� of people we could trust to be safe. Thus, the 鈥淧od 鈥� is a vital element of Flora and Fauna in Flux. The flower is a recurring image in this series, as is the maze. The flower is about rebirth, nature, and the artist鈥檚 flourishing garden on the farm where she lives. The maze represents the days and months of the pandemic, finding a way out. The use of black and white ink represents for the artist what we were and are all missing during the Covid crisis, the colors of life.
Her new ceramic sculptures in black and white are in dialogue with the drawings, round plate-like forms are glazed with bold black lines: flowers, circles, cross hatch, mazes and more. These sculptures are a love letter to the rapidly changing environment. The absence of color is a memorial to species and habitats that are in flux due to the changing climate. Hand-built morning glories are white striped in black. Fantasies abound in these sculptures in clay. Hidden among the flowers are the artist鈥檚 signature birds and bees. Caterpillars painted with stripes not unlike the morning glories, also garnished with spots and dots are happy little creatures, symbols of transformation. Bankemper鈥檚 glazing of her ceramics calls to mind Cecil Beaton鈥檚 black and white costumes in the Ascot scene of My fair Lady, the whimsy, the over-the-topness of dress, the joy of life expressed in couture. Bankemper manifests that same joy in her sculpture; there is a formality to the work that contrasts with the informality and directness of the drawings. There is a sense of humor and irony in these poignant works.
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On December 9, 2021 an exhibition of new work entitled 鈥淔lora and Fauna in Flux鈥� by Joan Bankemper opened at Nancy Hoffman, continuing through January 22, 2022.
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