Biography / C.V
Jenna Spevack is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York.
Her recent work explores different states of survival through the visualization of conversations, stories, scientific theories, and systems of belief. Her drawings, animations, and audio recordings examine concepts of emergence, tipping points, decline, and the drive for self-preservation.
She has a BFA in Printmaking from the State University of New York at Buffalo and an MFA in Painting/Printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Her work has been shown in one-person and group exhibitions locally, nationally and internationally, including Lisa Boyle Gallery, Chicago, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA, White Columns, NYC, Art in General, NYC, Anthony Giodano Gallery, Oakdale, NY, PS122 / Artwurl, Hostos Art Center, NYC, Artists Space, NYC, Monya Rowe Gallery, NYC, Rotunda Gallery, Brooklyn, Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY, Here Art, NYC, Albright Knox Gallery, Buffalo, NY, Bangs Street Gallery, Provincetown, MA, Hudson D. Walker Gallery, Provincetown, MA, Bellwether Gallery, NYC, Parlor Projects, San Francisco, CA, Panorama City, Zurich, Switzerland and Longwood Arts Gallery, Bronx, NY.
She has received residencies and fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the MacDowell Colony, the Longwood Arts Project, the Blue Mountain Center, Fundacion Valparaiso in Spain, Hall Farm Center for Arts and Education, PSCCUNY Research Foundation, and the Rumsey International Travel Grant.
Her work has been reviewed in The New York Times, New York Arts, The Times Union, Daily Gazette, Metroland Magazine, Provincetown Magazine, Provincetown Banner, Providence Journal Bulletin, Art New England, and on Monitor Public Radio.
A Selection of Projects and Exhibitions:
Some Things Which are Funny, and Some Things Which are Quite Serious at Lisa Boyle Gallery
( July 29 - August 26 2006 )
Conduit: Mapping the Connections Between Art and Science at Columbus State University
( October 12 - December 8, 2005 )
"... an art exhibit that explores the relationship
between two investigative processes. Biology, astronomy,
physics and anthropology study various bodies and their
relationships to each other. The artists included in
Conduit not only rearrange and explore our relationships to
the natural world; they also invite the viewer to engage
with their role as participant in the making of meaning,
the creation of science and the internal and external
environments.
A Funny Feeling of Weightlessness at Anthony Giordano Gallery
( October 10 - November 14, 2004 )
"Combining delineated structural elements with three-dimensional sculptures, the juxtaposition of Jenna Spevack's drawings and Bruce Busby's tents are the core of this installation. Basing their work on their own scientific theories and beliefs, Spevack explores the nature of existence through different narratives while Busby's Creativity Enhancement Shelters function as both sculpture and precincts to promote imagination."
Artist Project at PS122 Artwurl - #17
( Issue 5 – March 04 )
"Warp & Weft" is a series that combines digital diagrams with scanned pencil drawings of various objects and animals. The distorted, orange web is a continuous pattern created by charting every move in a group of chess games played by the artist. Chess is sometimes called "the game of life". Each game was recorded and a visual representation of that particular game was created. The variety of outcomes is reflected in the different patterns. Contained, floating or slipping through the weave of the web are bits and pieces of fragmented matter — fluid particles.
Featured Artist in At Length Magazine
( Issue 2: Winter 2004 )
Drawings from the Sticks and Stones series have been published in the most recent issue of At Length magazine. This is a literary magazine devoted to one long poem and one long story or novella each issue.
White Room at White Columns
( December 2003 - February 2004 )
"Jenna Spevack's drawings explore various systems of theory and belief, from scientific thought to religious values. For example, an ongoing series uses three basic objects-sticks, stones and strings-to explore paradigms of physics, from the Theory of Relativity to superstring theory. Her recent drawings introduce floods and explosions to the mix, sending their subjects floating out to sea or hurtling through the air. In some, depictions of animal patterns butterfly wings, turtle shells, zebra skins, etc.) evoke nature in a highly stylized manner. Spevack's delicate drawings examine the interaction between humans and their environment, both harmonious and doomed. Spevack has shown work at many venues, including most recently at Monya Rowe Gallery, Art in General, Parlor Projects and Rotunda Gallery. She holds a MFA from RISD and a BFA from SUNY Buffalo."