About the Exhibit - The Eye Is Not Satisfied With Seeing
Jennifer Packer’s exhibit, The Eye Is Not Satisfied With Seeing, is on view at Serpentine Gallery in London from December 5th, through March 14th.
This is Jennifer’s first solo exhibit at a European institution, and what a wonderful one to debut at.
The exhibit features 34 works from 2011 to 2020, including “portraits of artists from Packer’s New York circle, monochromatic paintings, intimate interiors and flower still lifes including Say Her Name (2017), painted in response to the suspicious death of Sandra Bland.” (source)
“In my work, I really want to make sure that images are tied to a specific person or authentic identity—that it’s not just ‘anyone’ or superficial.” – Jennifer Packer
“Combining observation, improvisation and memory, Packer’s intimate portraits of friends and family members and flower still paintings insist on the emotional and physical essence of the contemporary Black lives she depicts.” (source)
“My inclination to paint, especially from life, is a completely political one. We belong here. We deserve to be seen and acknowledged in real-time. We deserve to be heard and to be imaged with shameless generosity and accuracy.” – Jennifer Packer
“I’m thinking about Black representation in portraiture… I’m thinking about walking through the Met and looking at the Rubens, or any other large paintings of that nature, which are about a decadence that was funded through procuring riches from other parts of the world in questionable ways.” – Jennifer Packer
“On occasion, Packer describes her flower compositions as funerary bouquets and vessels of personal grief; these paintings about loss are often made in response to tragedies of state and institutional violence against Black Americans.” (source)
Walkthrough of the Exhibit
About the Artist - Jennifer Packer
Jennifer Packer is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Packer earned her BFA from the Tyler University School of Art at Temple University and her MFA from the Yale University School of Art. She’s also currently an assistant professor at the Rhode Island School of Design.
“Packer paints expressionist portraits, interior scenes, and still lifes. She is interested in authenticity, encounters, and exchanges in relation to her painting practice. The models for her portraits are often friends or family members” (source)
Packer was a part of the 2019 Whitney Biennial.
