College of Architecture + The Arts alumna Jessica Gispert (BFA ’06) is currently exhibiting her work at MÉLANGE, an art gallery in Cologne, Germany.
Gispert is presenting new and recent works at MÈLANGE in her exhibition called Heartspace (Sitting still within, sitting still without). Trampled by relaxation-scapes, the Florida native feels coddled by, yet in the position to resign to spa-culture. This body of work is inspired by the desire to obtain an artificial paradise. Garden-sized sculptures with faux-marbled surfaces, a salt-mineral pool meditation space, Black Velvet Petunias sustained by LED grow lights – all an attempt to control the surrounding environment, yet make the exhibition ever changing. As the flowers are in full blossom, time can only do them harm. The Black Petunia is a flower that was only created (pollinated) for the sake of reaching the level of black that no flower had ever reached before. Here they serve as forced pleasure devices, contained in their artificial environment, and also as an echo to the history of the flower industry. With its flora and artifice, MÈLANGE becomes a space for cultivation and joy, but still serves a metaphor for the deformation of what was once natural. Black and neon fabric-objects, hanging on the wall and attached to a protruding cactus, have undergone a series of procedures. The stretch material they are made of is meant to compensate any size and shape of the body. They adapt to every possible form, being nearly ever expandable. Hardened and twisted, they have lost their function to give its wearer a cozy embrace. Heartspace engages MÈLANGE as a place for wandering and contemplation, while reminding us of the piercing potential of seduction and allure. (Source: MÉLANGE)
Heartspace (Sitting still within, sitting still without) will run until June 21st, 2015 at MÉLANGE: Nonnenwerthstr. 2-4 / Sülzgürtel, 50937 Cologne, Germany.
The header image is from MÉLANGE‘s website and includes the work of Jessica Gispert.
Follow FIU Art + Art History on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
