Jesse Bransford "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" 2008
Phantasmaphile pal and artist extraordinaire, Jesse Bransford, has a phenomenal show opening at Feature, Inc on April 8th and up through May 9th. Entitled "The Jungle (for Norma)," the exhibition explores Bransford's experiences with an Amazonian shaman, and is described thusly:
From Star Trek to the Kabbalah, since the early 90s Jesse Bransford has been gleaning archaic, peripheral, and esoteric cultures for their icons, symbols, signs, and remnants of their deep. Generally images and info are ganged into his personal mythology and conflated and floated without regard to a chronology within a star map. His initial rather graphic visual interests later gave way to a more philosophical research and most recently to a bit more expressiveness. One search unfolds another. All things seem connected. We are floating in space.
Jesse Bransford’s “The Jungle (for Norma)” investigates the legendary psychotropic plant ayahuasca and his experience with that plant as guided by Norma, an Amazonian curandero (healer, shaman). He examines the indigenous culture and the plant(s) and their properties both scientifically and visually. His personal experiences and visions from the trip, along with their following repercussions are chronicled in this body of work.
“The Jungle" (for Norma) is Jesse Bransford’s sixth solo exhibition with Feature Inc. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 72, attended New School for Social Research (BA, History of the Sciences; BFA painting) and received a MFA from Columbia University. Jesse Bransford lives in Brooklyn.
There will also be a fascinating sounding artist talk on May 9th:
A JUNGLE OF SIGNS - lecture and discussion
sunday may 9
4:30pm: Jesse Bransford and Karsten Krejcarek
5:30pm: A Lecture by Michael Taussig
6:30pm: Reception
Professor Michael Taussig (Dept. of Anthropology, Columbia University) is one of the most innovative, distinguished and socially engaged voices in cultural anthropology. An interdisciplinary thinker and engaging writer, Taussig's work combines aspects of ethnography, story-telling, and social theory. An area of long standing interest, Taussig will be discussing aspects of Latin American Ayahuasca-based Shamanism and its historical interface with Western magic.
In 2007, visual artists Jesse Bransford and Karsten Krejcarek spent time in the city of Iquitos, Peru and the surrounding jungle. Since returning, both have spent much time trying to articulate what exactly happened there. In a public conversation they hope to further elaborate on the experiences in relation to their art and art making in general. Topics will include globalization, adventure narratives, monkeys and telepathy.
I am definitely planning on going, and you should, too.
Comments