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Jenny Kendler: Rewilding

Jenny Kendler: Rewilding ​is organized by the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University and curated by Steven L. Bridges, Assistant Curator. Support for this exhibition is provided by the Alan and Rebecca Ross endowed exhibitions fund.

October 7, 2017–December 10, 2017
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About the Exhibition

Jenny​ ​Kendler’s​ ​work​ ​often​ ​exists​ ​between​ ​the​ ​fields​ ​of​ ​art​ ​and​ ​environmental​ ​activism.​ ​With​ ​a strong​ ​ecological​ ​voice,​ ​her​ ​sculptures,​ ​drawings,​ ​videos,​ ​and​ ​installations​ ​articulate​ ​urgent concerns​ ​without​ ​sacrificing​ ​the​ ​role​ ​of​ ​aesthetics​ ​in​ ​communicating​ ​through​ ​visual​ ​languages. For​ ​the​ ​exhibition​ ​​Rewilding,​ ​Kendler​ ​presents​ ​a​ ​series​ ​of​ ​sculptures​ ​that​ ​bear​ ​the​ ​interventions of​ ​her​ ​hand​ ​in​ ​the​ ​name​ ​of​ ​subtle​ ​yet​ ​poignant​ ​protest:​ ​familiar​ ​porcelain​ ​bird​ ​figurines​ ​are modified​ ​and​ ​transformed​ ​in​ ​an​ ​attempt​ ​to​ ​preserve​ ​the​ ​otherwise​ ​endangered​ ​species​ ​the works​ ​refer​ ​to.​ ​For​ ​many​ ​this​ ​involves​ ​the​ ​fabrication​ ​(and​ ​decoration)​ ​of​ ​“deflector helmets”—speculative​ ​prostheses​ ​for​ ​each​ ​bird​ ​that​ ​further​ ​adapts​ ​the​ ​species’​ ​natural camouflage.​ ​Some​ ​figurines​ ​may​ ​find​ ​refuge​ ​under​ ​a​ ​veil​ ​of​ ​wind-fallen​ ​lichen,​ ​highlighting​ ​the importance​ ​of​ ​different​ ​species​ ​working​ ​together​ ​to​ ​combat​ ​environmental​ ​erosion.​ ​Muted​ ​as they​ ​are,​ ​these​ ​sculptures​ ​yet​ ​sound​ ​the​ ​alarm​ ​and​ ​ask​ ​us​ ​to​ ​further​ ​consider​ ​the​ ​role​ ​we​ ​all​ ​play in​ ​preserving​ ​the​ ​diversity​ ​of​ ​life​ ​on​ ​planet​ ​Earth.

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