Monday, April 4, 2011

Jan Hopkins @ SOFA NYC 2011



PARK AVENUE ARMORY, Park Avenue at 67th Street, New York, NY
Represented by Jane Sauer Gallery Santa Fe, NM, Booth 113

Opening night Gala April 13, 5:00-9:00PM
Expo dates: April 14-17th
for more information - visitor's info


"Her Achilles Heels"

Dimensions 7”x10”x4” each shoe, Date 2011, Material: Lunaria seed pod centers, weathered hydrangea petals, melon peel, yellow cedar bark and waxed linen

I overheard a young woman proclaim "I loved the idea of being in love". Like Achilles heel in Greek mythology, his vulnerable heel was his weak spot; when it comes to romantic love, the heart seems to be the weak spot. On the exterior of the shoes, I have written the infamous proclamation” I (eye) love the idea of being in love”. In the interior of the right shoe, there is a heart with a question mark and the words “mister right”. In the interior of the left shoe, there is a broken heart with the words “left behind”. There is an arrow on each heel symbolizing cupid’s arrow. And finally, there are eyes on the front of each shoe when placed together they are eyes that continue to look for love.


"Light in Darkness"

30"x18"x12", 2010, grapefruit peel, yellow cedar bark, ostrich shell beads and waxed linen.

As a child, I remember watching the dramatized story of Helen Keller “The Miracle Worker”. That movie left a life long impression and admiration of Helen Keller and the reason I included her in my Women Icon series. A woman who reached far beyond anyone’s expectations Helen Keller was the first deaf/blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. As I contemplated how to depict her in a sculpture, I wanted to include her words. I made Braille tablets made of grapefruit peel and beads that says “The best and the most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.” I also included arms with the sculpture because communication did not come from her ears or spoken word but by touch. The piece is very textural emphasizing the importance of the touch. The lace like cedar bark is a technique that I developed especially for this piece.

Jan @Jane Sauer Gallery


4 comments:

Pamela Zimmerman said...

Just FABULOUS! truly amazing work. I do so wish i could come and see it in person!

Jan Hopkins said...

Oh thanks Pamela, you are so kind!

pchickki said...

What amazing work.
My applause and all the luck in the world but I am sure you won't need it.

Jan Hopkins said...

How nice of you! Thank you!