Please join us for an afternoon of art and conversation with MOCA curator Alma Ruiz, Artists Jen Stark and Sam Borkson (FriendsWithYou). Saturday November 3, 2012 at 3pm. On the occasion of Jen Stark’s gallery exhibition To the Power Of.

Please RSVP at: gallery@marthaotero.com

Martha Otero Gallery
820 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
#(323) 951-1068

The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery came out with a book of their current show that my work is included in “40 Under 40: Craft Futures”. Here is the article and photos of the book. If you’d like a copy for yourself, the book is also available to purchase HERE.

“40 UNDER 40″ group exhibition book
Written by: Nicholas R. Bell

The politics of craft, often so close to the surface, are largely absent from the paper sculptures of Jen Stark. Rather than tackle the deficiencies of contemporary culture, these unexpected objects serve as psychic way stations–colorful oases for individuals to de-stress through the contemplation of joyful things. In this sense they take up anew the mantle of Fancy–boisterous and bright aesthetic movement of the early nineteenth century that reframed American decorative arts through a whimsical lens. The exploitation of vivid color and pattern was paramount then, and returns as the foundation of Stark’s oeuvre.

The artist first turned to paper as a student seeking an affordable medium, and from a materials standpoint even her most complex works remain deceptively simple in their construction. Start stacks sheets of drawing paper in the order she wishes them to appear, then cuts into them one leaf at a time, finding rhythm in their expanding geometries. She cites fractals as an influence on her work, and it is easy to see the attention paid to such natural phenomena. The tight margins between layers of color mimic evolutionary progress–the smallest shifts altering the final makeup the whole.

Power of Being is indicative of Stark’s eye-popping style. A six-pointed star leaps off the wall, lending the paper a dynamic topography, then trickles down in ragged layers to a distant root. Alternating color pairings are both playful and suggestive of the star’s meaty past, while its lingering tail invokes the underbelly of an iceberg. It is only one trick up Stark’s sleeve to convey depth through the slimmest of things. Piece of an Infinite Whole demonstrates the artist’s ability to transform space through the stacking of paper. In this case she has broken through a wall, removing the piece from the actual gallery, as if the right combination of colors might open up a wormhole in otherwise staid white cube. This rupturing of the standard plane is a recurring theme in Stark’s work, and marks a current of provocation running beneath the simple pleasure of viewing it.

Stark underscores the labor inherent to her medium in How to Become a Millionaire in 100 Days. Toying with this culture’s get-rich-quick mentality, and the notion of wealth as the accumulation of currency (i.e., paper), she has individually cut one million pieces of paper and left them in a glorious pile of bespoke confetti. A quick calculation based on the title uncovers a working rate of ten thousand scraps cut per day, a pace that would make anyone blanch, and one that serves to highlight her physical as well as mental determination.

Ultimately, Stark’s palette and her deft use of the knife enchant not only through their brilliance, but also through her transformation of the most common of materials into something unique. Functionally, these strange forms serve little purpose, but to lose them would also be to miss them as one misses the most practical of things. Such is the importance of our ability to escape down the nearest, brightest rabbit hole.

Martha Otero Gallery is pleased to present Jen Stark’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, To the Power Of.

Opening Reception is September 28th from 6-9pm. Show runs through December 10th.

Jen Stark’s work is instantly recognizable for its breathtaking color spectrums rendered in mind-bending forms cut from paper, wood and other organic materials.

Stark’s sculptures seemingly reconstruct elements of time, nature and the cosmos on an exponential scale. She draws inspiration for her works from the rhythmic visual qualities of mandalas and other such sacred objects, while they simultaneously behave like the imagery of topographic maps, geometric repetitions and three-dimensional prisms. This aligns directly with her interest in mathematics: ‘to the power of…’ being a statement of exponential growth also infers the definition of ‘power’ as both the possession of physical or mental control and the fortitude to act decisively. Her unique experience working with fibers is displayed in her delicately constructed patterns, which resemble the flowing movements of fabric versus the perceived rigidity her actual core materials. Stark’s unflinching attention to physical detail and a commitment to shaping the object into something far beyond its origins result in a body of work which borders on the unbelievable.

With each successive individual project, Stark becomes bolder in her efforts to lure viewers into her kaleidoscopic environments. The work stands alone as a signature piece of superior craftsmanship and imaginative prowess, but Stark remains conscious of how the work is inextricably bound to real space and time. In this vein, Stark pushes the envelope of visual art production, recalling both the psychedelic experience of Op Art and the endearment of handmade totems and mystic charms.

Jen Stark was born in Miami in 1983. She received her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2005, with a concentration in fibers and a minor in animation. Stark was the 2008 recipient of the South Florida Cultural Consortium’s Visual and Media Artist Fellowship and, in the same year, won first prize at MOCA North Miami’s 10th annual Optic Nerve Film Festival. Stark’s work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Chicago, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, London and Miami. Stark has been the subject of televised interviews for PBS Arts, WLRN South Florida and the Wet Heat Project. Stark’s work is held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, the West Collection in Oaks, Pennsylvania, and the Cricket and Martin Taplin Collection at the Sagamore Hotel in Miami Beach. Stark lives and works in Los Angeles.

For more information and artwork inquiries, please contact: gallery@marthaotero.com

820 NORTH FAIRFAX AVENUE
LOS ANGELES, CA 90046
t. 323 951 1068

During Art Basel Miami Dec 1-4th, 2011, I’ll be exhibiting at PULSE Art Fair with LMAK Projects (NYC) in booth C-100. I hope you can make it out if you’re in Miami!

More info here:  http://www.pulse-art.com/miami/

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be in my first UK group show in London at Future Tense opening November 24th. The show is called “Spectra I” and I’ll be showing alongside artists Lee Baker, Adam Ball, Chuck Elliott, Katrin Fridriks, Haroshi, and James Marshall. Should be an amazing show so if you’re in London, stop by and see it! Show runs through December 18th.

Opening Reception November 24th from 6-9pm

Check out more info here: http://www.thefuturetense.net/

Come see my new work at PULSE Art Fair in Los Angeles with Show & Tell Gallery (Toronto). Fair runs September 30 – October 3

PULSE L.A.

Event Deck at L.A. Live
1005 West Chick Hearn Court
Downtown Los Angeles, California

If you’re in NYC this weekend, check out a wild and crazy group show I’ll be in.

Friday February 25 from 6-8pm at CANADA GALLERY in NYC.

“Art Dizzle” / 18″ x 24″ / mixed media on archival art board / 2011 / By Sam Borkson, Jen Stark & Alvaro Ilizarbe

For this show, our collaboration “Art Dizzle” was made in the spirit of fun, friendship and creativity. The result is a collage of layering and built up craziness. There were no rules and no talking. In the work, we used some pieces of fabric and sequins from our actual costumes in the live Dadareah performance at OHWOW.

The opening night will feature a screening of Dadarhea and a special live performance by Robert Beatty of Hair Police and Three Legged Race, to accompany a video mix by Devin Flynn and Takeshi Murata. Throughout the month, Dadarheans will invite you to participate in a variety of workshops, events and musical performances. In celebration of this premiere and residency, CANADA has printed a special book complete with a DVD of the film!

Dadarheans include: Devin Flynn, Jim Drain, Francine Spiegel, Taylor McKimens, Takeshi Murata , Ara Peterson, Leif Goldberg, Jessie Gold, Bec Stupak, Neil Fazzari, Naomi Fisher, Melissa Brown, Erin Krause, Laura Grant, Brian Belott, Johnny Woods, Rich Porter, Billy Grant, Alison Kuo, Alvaro Ilizarbe, Jen Stark, Ross Goldstein, Trish Riefert, Debbie Tuch, Sam Borkson, Bert Rodriguez, Jeffery Williams, Michael Williams, Marie Lorenz, Annie Pearlman, Seth Cooper and Joe Grillo.

For more information visit in the EVENT PAGE or  CANADA Gallery website.

I’m going to have new work in a group art show at Fullerton College in Orange County, CA. Here is the info:

“Paper Cuts”
Group show at Fullerton College Art Gallery
Opening Thursday January 27 from 5pm – 7pm
On display Thursday, January 27 – Thursday, February 24, 2011

Fullerton College Art Gallery / 321 E. Chapman Avenue, Fullerton California 92832 | 714-992-7000

I’ll be showcasing some installation pieces at SCOPE Art Fair this year at Carol Jazzar’s booth #A21.  If you’re down for Basel, make sure to check it out!

JEN STARK at SCOPE with Carol Jazzar booth #A21
NOV 30th – DEC 5th,  2010
Midtown / 3055 North Miami Avenue / Miami, FL 33127

Check out the SCOPE website or Carol Jazzar website for more info.Jen Stark at SCOPE with Carol Jazzar gallery booth #A21

SCOPE ART FAIR HOURS
First View: Opening Tuesday Nov 30 (VIP) / 3pm-9pm
General Admission Fair Hours:
Wednesday, December 1 / 11am-6pm
Thursday-Saturday, Dec 2-4 / 11am-7pm
Sunday, December 5 / 11am-6pm

During the DADARHEA Show at O.H.W.O.W. on Friday August 13th,  Alvaro Ilizarbe (AKA Freegums), Sam Borkson (FriendsWithYou) and I created 3 magical creatures and did a live performance during the opening. We blew poppers, feathers, and glitter out of our costumes and pranced around ringing bells. Here are a few photos.

Alvaro Ilizarbe (left), Jen Stark (center) and Sam Borkson (right)

(bottom 2 photos by Justin Namon/WorldRedEye.com)