UMOCA’s Fall Newsletter Features Interview with Artist-in-Residence Andrea Jensen
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UMOCA:
Can you talk a bit about the trajectory of your residency here at UMOCA? Where did you start and where are you now?
Andrea Jensen:
This residency has been an incredible opportunity for me to focus on my art and I feel so fortunate to have had this experience. Before beginning the residency, I was looking more at fractured landscapes, and the idea of being in more than one place at a time. Coming from the Midwest, I have always had a real connection to the land, and much of my work lingered between land of the West and Midwest. I was curious about how the idea of “home” fit into these two narratives. Stark geometric edges and bold lines were more prevalent in my work. As the residency continued I became more interested in otherworldly landscapes, like that of The Great Salt Lake, with open skies and barren land and a sense of uneasiness.
UMOCA:
Your upcoming exhibition in the AIR Space is titled “Solastalgia.” Can you talk about what that word means?
Andrea Jensen:
The term “Solastalgia” is derived from both the Latin word for comfort and the Greek word for pain and suffering. It was coined by the philosopher Glenn Albrecht in which he describes it as “the feeling of homesickness you have when you are still at home.” As I began my research in residency around the idea of home, I realized that home was becoming a place of distress and uneasiness, as the threat of climate change increases. The year of residency was filled with news about the disappearance of the Salt Lake, affecting the future of my current home, and certainly affecting the work I created.
UMOCA:
Can you talk about how you use abstraction in your work to portray this “uneasiness” you were feeling?
Andrea Jensen:
My work has always been about the land. The way we use the land, interpret the land and experience it. There is an uneasiness about it however, because it is at risk within the current climate crisis. Abstraction creates questions, which in turn makes us question what it is we are seeing. And if we take something familiar and make it unfamiliar this leads to uneasiness. What I do not want to do, however, is to leave behind the inherent beauty of the landscape. Climate threatened or not, these landscapes speak beauty.
UMOCA:
What do you hope visitors take away from your exhibition?
Andrea Jensen:
My hope is that the viewer can see the beauty and distress and the importance of taking action. The future is in our hands.
UMOCA:
What’s on the horizon for you as an artist?
Andrea Jensen:
Great question! As an artist, I feel like the work is never done. I want to keep exploring and improving as both an artist and a citizen.
