Jennifer West
Encyclopedia
Jennifer West is an American artist who lives and works in Los Angeles. She is known for her digitized films that are made by hand manipulating film celluloid. She has produced over 50 films since she started working this way in 2004. Wendy Vogel writes for Artforum.com, "Like her experimental predecessors, West forgoes narrative cohesion in favor of creating jumpy cuts and abstract visual collages––splicing, rolling, and drenching the celluloid using materials from Mylar tape to pickle juice, whiskey to candle smoke." Christopher Bedford wrote in Artforum on her work, "sexy, whimsical, painting-scale DVD projections walk that elusive line between pictorial modes with deftness, wit, and airy originality." Joanna Kleinberg wrote on her work in Frieze "the intermingling of materiality, feeling and identity creates a wild blend of synaesthetic experience wherein the substances of life literally and figuratively colour the film." In 2003, she was named to the MIT
Technology Review
TR100
as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35.
(Pasadena, California) in 2004 and her BA from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She studied with Mike Kelley
and Diana Thater
at Art Center.
, skateboarded on or dragged through tar pits. West is also known for the Zine booklets that she produces featuring the production stills showing the making of the films. The destroyed and distressed films are then digitized and shown as looping video projections in museums and art galleries.
She is best known for the live performance, "Skate the Sky" staged at the Tate Modern
in London in 2009 where she invited skateboarders to skate over filmstrips taped to the floor of the Turbine Hall.
Exhibitions
West's one-person shows have been presented at Contemporary Art Museum, Houston (2010), Western Bridge, Seattle, Washington (2010), Kunstverein Nuremberg (2010), Marc Foxx Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2009), Vilma Gold, London, UK(2008); Transmission Gallery,Glasgow, Scotland (2008); Statements, Art Basel
39, Basel, Switzerland (2008); Marc Foxx Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2007); and White Columns
, New York, NY (2007). West's work has been included in exhibitions at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt (2010), Seattle Art Museum
, (2010), Leubsdorf Gallery, Hunter College, New York; ICA
, Philadelphia, Cubitt Art Gallery, London, UK, Aspen Art Museum
, Aspen, CO, Art TLV 08, Tel Aviv, Israel, Tate St. Ives, UK, CAPC Musee d'Art Contemporain, Bordeaux, France, Henry Art Gallery
, Seattle, WA, The Drawing Center, New York, NY, Rose Art Museum
, Waltham, MA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, MI and ZKM Museum for New Media, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Shred the Gnar Full Moon Film Noir. 2010. Produced by the Aspen Art Museum
, Aspen, Colorado in conjunction with performance and exhibitions, Shred the Gnar Full Moon Noir. Curated by Matthew Thompson.
Wheels Ink Ho-ho's and Melon, Skate the Sky Film Production Stills. 2009. Produced by Vilma Gold and MARC FOXX in conjunction with performance and screening at Tate Modern
, London, UK. Curated by Stuart Comer.
Pomegranate Juice and Pepper Spray Production Stills. 2009. Produced by Jennifer West and MARC FOXX in conjunction with "Pomegranate and Pepper Spray" solo exhibition at MARC FOXX, Los Angeles.
Electric Kool-aid and the Mezcal Worm Production Stills. 2008. Produced by Jennifer West in conjunction with solo exhibition, "Electric Kool-aid and the Mezcal Worm" at Vilma Gold, London.
Jennifer West. Production Stills 2008. Produced by Vilma Gold in conjunction with Jennifer West's Statements Presentation at Art Basel
30, Switzerland.
The W.C. #19 (Volume 2 Number 7) Jennifer West Production Stills (AKA Jwest). 2007. Produced by White Columns
. Curated by Matthew Higgs
.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
Technology Review
Technology Review
Technology Review is a magazine published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was founded in 1899 as "The Technology Review", and was re-launched without the "The" in its name on April 23, 1998 under then publisher R. Bruce Journey...
TR100
TR35
The TR35 is an annual list published by MIT Technology Review magazine, naming the world's top 35 innovators under the age of 35.Some of the most famous winners of the award include Larry Page and Sergey Brin , Linus Torvalds , Jerry Yang , Jonathan Ive , Mark Zuckerberg...
as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35.
Biography
She was born in Topanga, California and received her MFA from Art Center College of DesignArt Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
(Pasadena, California) in 2004 and her BA from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She studied with Mike Kelley
Mike Kelley
Mike Kelley is a contemporary American artist. Kelley's work involves found objects, textile banners, drawings, assemblage, collage, performance and video. He often works collaboratively and has done projects with artists Paul McCarthy, Tony Oursler and John Miller...
and Diana Thater
Diana Thater
Diana Thater is an American artist, curator, writer, and educator. She has been a pioneering creator of film, video, and installation art since the early 1990s...
at Art Center.
Work
West makes 16mm, 35mm and 70mm films by manipulating the film celluloid to a level of performance. The film emulsion might be doused with perfume, Jack Daniels or pepper sprayPepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
, skateboarded on or dragged through tar pits. West is also known for the Zine booklets that she produces featuring the production stills showing the making of the films. The destroyed and distressed films are then digitized and shown as looping video projections in museums and art galleries.
She is best known for the live performance, "Skate the Sky" staged at the Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
in London in 2009 where she invited skateboarders to skate over filmstrips taped to the floor of the Turbine Hall.
Exhibitions
West's one-person shows have been presented at Contemporary Art Museum, Houston (2010), Western Bridge, Seattle, Washington (2010), Kunstverein Nuremberg (2010), Marc Foxx Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2009), Vilma Gold, London, UK(2008); Transmission Gallery,Glasgow, Scotland (2008); Statements, Art Basel
Art Basel
Art Basel is an international contemporary art fair held each June in Basel, Switzerland. Similar to the Venice Biennale, it has been called "the Olympics of the art world". Art Basel features nearly 300 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa...
39, Basel, Switzerland (2008); Marc Foxx Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2007); and White Columns
White Columns
White Columns is New York City’s oldest alternative non-profit space and one of its most prestigious. White Columns is known as a show case for up and coming artists....
, New York, NY (2007). West's work has been included in exhibitions at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt (2010), Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Art Museum
The Seattle Art Museum is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It maintains three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, and the Olympic Sculpture Park on the central Seattle waterfront, which opened on...
, (2010), Leubsdorf Gallery, Hunter College, New York; ICA
Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia
The Institute of Contemporary Art or ICA is a contemporary art museum located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The museum is associated with the University of Pennsylvania, and is located on its campus. The Institute is one of the country's leading museums dedicated to exhibiting the innovative...
, Philadelphia, Cubitt Art Gallery, London, UK, Aspen Art Museum
Aspen Art Museum
Founded in 1979, the Aspen Art Museum is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located in the historic mountain community of Aspen, Colorado....
, Aspen, CO, Art TLV 08, Tel Aviv, Israel, Tate St. Ives, UK, CAPC Musee d'Art Contemporain, Bordeaux, France, Henry Art Gallery
Henry Art Gallery
The Henry Art Gallery is the art museum of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA. Located on the west edge of the university's campus along 15th Avenue N.E. in the University District, it was founded in 1927 and was the first public art museum in the state of Washington. The...
, Seattle, WA, The Drawing Center, New York, NY, Rose Art Museum
Rose Art Museum
The Rose Art Museum, founded in 1961, is a part of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. Named after benefactors Edward and Bertha Rose, it offers temporary exhibitions, and it displays and houses works of art from the Brandeis University art collections...
, Waltham, MA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, MI and ZKM Museum for New Media, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Zines
West often produces Zines for her exhibitions and performances. The Zines are made with black and white production stills from the making of her films. They are given away at her exhibitions for free. All zines have been published in editions of 500.Zines to Date
Smoke, Mirrors, Darts and Lavender Mist. 2010. Produced by the Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, Texas in conjunction with Perspectives 176: Jennifer West. Curated by Valerie Cassel Oliver.Shred the Gnar Full Moon Film Noir. 2010. Produced by the Aspen Art Museum
Aspen Art Museum
Founded in 1979, the Aspen Art Museum is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located in the historic mountain community of Aspen, Colorado....
, Aspen, Colorado in conjunction with performance and exhibitions, Shred the Gnar Full Moon Noir. Curated by Matthew Thompson.
Wheels Ink Ho-ho's and Melon, Skate the Sky Film Production Stills. 2009. Produced by Vilma Gold and MARC FOXX in conjunction with performance and screening at Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
, London, UK. Curated by Stuart Comer.
Pomegranate Juice and Pepper Spray Production Stills. 2009. Produced by Jennifer West and MARC FOXX in conjunction with "Pomegranate and Pepper Spray" solo exhibition at MARC FOXX, Los Angeles.
Electric Kool-aid and the Mezcal Worm Production Stills. 2008. Produced by Jennifer West in conjunction with solo exhibition, "Electric Kool-aid and the Mezcal Worm" at Vilma Gold, London.
Jennifer West. Production Stills 2008. Produced by Vilma Gold in conjunction with Jennifer West's Statements Presentation at Art Basel
Art Basel
Art Basel is an international contemporary art fair held each June in Basel, Switzerland. Similar to the Venice Biennale, it has been called "the Olympics of the art world". Art Basel features nearly 300 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa...
30, Switzerland.
The W.C. #19 (Volume 2 Number 7) Jennifer West Production Stills (AKA Jwest). 2007. Produced by White Columns
White Columns
White Columns is New York City’s oldest alternative non-profit space and one of its most prestigious. White Columns is known as a show case for up and coming artists....
. Curated by Matthew Higgs
Matthew Higgs
Matthew Higgs is a British artist, curator, writer and publisher. His contribution to UK contemporary art has included the creation of Imprint 93, a series of artists’ editions featuring the work of artists such as Martin Creed and Jeremy Deller...
.