Artist Lecture -- Penelope Umbrico

Although I was familiar with Penelope's work from my Sophomore year with Nia Burks, I didn't really understand it very well. I knew what she was doing but I didn't really grasp the weight of it until I heard her speak.  This I think, can present a bit of a problem.  I was discussing this with Ashleigh a bit earlier about the lecture and we both agreed about this.  Apparently someone had posed a question to Penelope about how she feels about this, but unfortunately I had an exam at 4 so I could not stay.

from the series Unititled (pets and babies) from home decor websites

Something that I was terribly envious of in regard to the way she works is that she can take a very small idea and turn it into something much larger. In example, when her mirror broke and so when she would go to wash her hands she would look up and feel a kind of transparency and nonexistence by not being able to see her reflection and how she turned that into the mirrors from magazines piece. Or, how her father calling to ask her to look for a new plate for her mother to replace the one he'd broken turned into Arrythmia. 


I feel like my work would benefit from thinking in that vein.  It seems like there are so many points in my day that I devise some odd thought and it goes unnoticed. I think perhaps I should start carrying around a little moleskin to keep my thoughts in so that they don't escape.

from the series Doors

Going back to an earlier thread, I think her work suffers a bit in that it's exclusive in a way.  I don't know that it's really easily accessible to the audience and it is necessary to provide further explanation in order for the work to convey what she wants it to.  Ashleigh said that one thing she had mentioned when this was posed to her was that she tries to use the titles to steer the viewer in the direction of the meaning, but I think there's only so much you can do with a title.  I don't think it would be problematic to have a brief artist's statement accompanying the work, although it is a bit of a cop out.


With my work I do want the viewer to draw their own conclusions without imposing too much onto them. I don't want to have to have a side note for the person to understand.  I want my art to be immediately arresting and have a voice of its own without me having to be a proxy -- essentially the work is an extension of myself and therefore it should be able to speak whether I am physically present or not.

from the series Untitled (Crowds and Graveyards) 

Either way, though, I really enjoyed this lecture. Penelope's work is intriguing, even if she does have to explain it, and she was quite well spoken which was very nice.  I wish I could have stayed for the rest of the Q&A session because I think this was a case where I may have had something to contribute to the conversation. No use crying over spilled milk though.