Paris London Hong Kong is very pleased to present Chicago artist Jaclyn Mednicov and A Faint Shadowy Trace, a solo project that will utilize two spaces for installations of new work.

In her recent essay about Jaclyn’s work, Frances Dorenbaum wrote:

“Jaclyn Mednicov’s material process parallels that of remembering. Photographs taken by the artist of decaying flowers and carvings that memorialize lost loves and loved ones provide the starting point for her exploration on the material and haptic processes of a transfer. A slippery formula loosens the markings on the surface of each initial print and mediates the transfer of the photographic image onto a blank panel. Layers of light impressions blur colors and forms. Though traces remain, the original picture is no longer fully present.

Through the kiss of the print and panel, an image is both maintained and removed. Thus, Mednicov’s work poses contradictions in its fragmentation. The panels preserve a spirit through the collected transfers, while they simultaneously purge elements from the original image as the ink on those prints slowly fades away.

In this recent series of works on panels, Mednicov includes scraps of her photographs collaged on top of the imprinted surfaces, as if in an attempt to recover whole memories while acknowledging the superficiality of this intention. Her bolder, more vivid tones convey a determination—even a desperation—as the panels are darkened by the high contrast printed fragments.

As these memorials are also transferred from photographs to screen prints to carpet tiles, they are turned black and white. The messages noting a time of transition are placed in the gallery, a space filled with movement, causing them to disintegrate and blend over time as more and more visitors walk over them.

A desire to bathe in the beauty of Mednicov’s imagery may draw viewers in. Yet, a close look at the surfaces of her panels, reliefs, castings, and carpets will reveal the fragility and temporality of the subjects she references. Sontag writes that “beauty may not always console.” Instead, it can torment us, as natural and artistic beauty “both raise the fantasy of possession.” Mednicov’s work, though attractive with its vibrant colors and shimmers of gold, is not an attempt at recreating or preserving beauty, life, or memories, but rather, a reminder of the difficulty that comes with letting go.”

Jaclyn Mednicov lives and works in Chicago. She earned a BFA in Visual Arts at the University of Kansas. Throughout her undergraduate program, she also attended Parsons School of Design in New York for a summer drawing program, and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, for a semester. She holds both an MA in Studio Arts from Eastern Illinois University (2012) and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2016). Selected exhibitions include: Mixed Greens Gallery, New York; Sullivan Galleries, The Samuel, EXPO Chicago, The Franklin, Chicago; and Evanston Art Center (Evanston + Vicinity Biennial), Evanston. She has attended residencies at Vermont Studio Center and Ragdale. Her work is in the collection of the Tarble Arts Center and has been featured in several publications including New American Paintings.

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Tags: A Faint Shadowy Trace, Chicago, Jaclyn Mednicov, Paris London Hong Kong, West Town