Constant Journey: Jenna Krypell and the Notion of Displacement
Interpreting and reducing people’s everyday movements to both two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms, Jenna Krypell evaluates life’s challenges and restrictions, exploring the balance between choice and limitations. Imposing clear restrictions on herself in the preliminary stages of production, her designs that feature materials such as MDF and hand-dyed resins and paint, allow for a unique reconstruction of the same elements. Created with the notion of displacement in mind, Krypell emphasizes the “journey” while representing change; nothing is stagnant.
The thought of “displacement” often comes along with feelings of anxiety and discomfort, but must this concept of being somewhere unfamiliar, be associated with negativity? Through a trio of recent sculptures currently available at JoAnne Artman Gallery, Jenna Krypell, presents a different perception of the unknown, and its inextricable role in embarking upon a journey. Each piece, while distinct on their own, contributes to an overarching narrative of venturing into the unexplored, for the goal of greater discovery.
Ivy, takes the viewer through a literal, visual journey through a network of winding turns and bends, but not without purpose. These contorting twists are made accessible through their emerald glow, guiding the viewers’ gaze over knots to ultimately form a completed shape. Symbolic of Krypell’s overarching themes of voyage and discovery, Ivy intertwined lines encourage exploration.
Krypell pushes us into unsettled territory again, in Inside, Outside, and we are granted permission to exist in uncertainty. The perspective of the piece accentuates the undertones tones of ambiguity, as depending on where you view it from it appears to be 3D, when in reality it’s just an illusion. The juxtaposition of textures adds to the mood of incertitude, with the airiness of the clouds depicted and the rigidity of the centrally placed contorting MDF maze, showcasing the push-and-pull relationship of “control” and “release.” Despite the battle between these two concepts, the evident stillness of the Inside, Outside, reminds viewers that it is perhaps necessary to exist in that unresolved inbetween.
In a yellow to orange gradient, Krypell’s color palette in Radiate evokes happiness, sunshine, and optimism. The soaring segments in between the vibrantly illustrated arches, surge outward, emphasizing the importance of constant movement and perception- is this a sunrise or a sunset? Reminiscent of a rainbow known to symbolize luck and new beginnings, Krypell’s segments come together to form a whole.
Each of the wall sculptures speak to the journey of “displacement” and the dichotomies between movement and stagnation, control and reinvention through their differing compositions and color palettes. Ultimately, the visual journey portrayed is both thoughtful and playful and Jenna Krypell emphasizes the paradigm that the only consistency in life is constant change.
