Antique chairs paired with risqué textiles and large mounted word sculptures, inside of which lie stylized fetishized illustrations of women frolicking in landscapes, are the some of the ways in which Manga and Modern are incorporated into the work of artist Jessica Lichtenstein. The artist also has a current series of Manga figurines in plexiglass boxes that I am not including in this post.
Yum:
details:
above: UV Printed on Acrylic, 45 x 81 1/2 x 2 in | 114.3 x 207 x 5 cm
Play:
detail:
above: UV Printed on Acrylic, 37 x 89 1/2 x 2 in | 94 x 227.3 x 5 cm
XOXO:
detail:
above: UV printed on acrylic, 22 x 48 x 4 inches | 56 x 122 x 10
Lust:
detail:
above: UV Printed on Acrylic, 38 x 88 1/4 x 4 in | 96.5 x 221.5 x 10.2 cm
War:
detail:
above: UV Printed on Acrylic, 45 x 91 x 4 1/4 in | 114.3 x 231 x 10.7 cm
Bloom:
detail:
close-ups:
above: UV printed on acrylic, LED lights, and stainless steel, 33 x 75 x 4 in | 84 x 190.5 x 10.3 cm
The Chairs:
King Chair:
textile detail:
above: Twill fabric, fiberglass and resin, 56 x 29 1/2 x 25 in | 142.3 x 74.9 x 63.5 cm
Queen Chair:
Textile detail:
above: Twill fabric, fiberglass and resin, 38 1/2 x 34 x 27 in | 97.8 x 86.3 x 68.6 cm
Princess Chair:
textile detail:
above: Twill fabric, fiberglass and resin, 43 3/4 x 37 x 31 in | 111 x 94 x 79 cm
Porter Chairs:
above: twill fabric, fiberglass, resin, leather and metal studs, measurements unknown
Jessica is presently showing at Gallery Nine5:
Gallery Nine 5
About the artist:
photo by ©Sunnie Rizzolo
Jessica Lichtenstein, above, lives and works in New York City.
Using the female body as a mechanism to explore deeper themes of power, female representation, fetishism and objectification, usually in an ironic and cheerful way, Lichtenstein’s work embodies the very paradox she is trying to explore. Her work consciously plays with the boundaries of power, commercialization, consumerism, fantasy and propriety, provoking tensions that challenge the viewer to confront his or her own gaze.
Lichtenstein expands her media to include graphic design, 3D text sculptures, light boxes and fabric. The artist strives for the presentation of her work to echo her ideas – art should ultimately entertain. Lichtenstein reveals her playful nature with complex pieces that divulge their depth only with a closer look – a cherry tree image on a light box is actually a composite of X-rated sirens. The viewer is asked to re-examine the nature of enticement – are the accompanying phrases and speech bubbles amatory or garish? Each vignette in Lichtenstein’s installations is a slate upon which the viewer may consider his or her own notions of sexuality. (courtesy of Gallerynine5)
images courtesy of the artist
Jessica Lichtenstein
