Rubus Discolor Project is pleased to present Four Houses, a solo exhibition by Jenn Sova. The show runs from February 12 - March 12, 2023.
In Four Houses, Jenn Sova resurrects three lost family homes in the space of Rubus Discolor Project. Through installation, the artist recalls her Grandmother’s home in Czechoslovakia, a country that no longer exists, her Mother’s childhood home lost in a fire, and her own childhood home which, through an act of bureaucratic renaming, cannot be found on any map.
Using her memories as reference, Sova constructs sculptural works to rebuild pieces of her past while collaborating directly with the walls, floors, and corners of the house. Employing materials found on the property and beyond to connect with its history, each room becomes a link to a different generation. In the living room, a small house made of bricks and cinder blocks recalls the simplified elements of a child’s drawing. A crowd of plaster glove-shaped hands occupies the kitchen, inhibiting movement while reaching for something, though for what remains unclear. A snapshot on the wall pulled from a family photo album brings to light a common question: is this memory or its proxy?
insideout, a performance by Jenn Sova, Hannah Krafcik, and Emily Jones will take place on Sunday, February 26th at 5pm.
Jenn Sova has exhibited at after/time (Portland, OR), Carnation Contemporary (Portland, OR), Center for Contemporary Art & Culture (Portland, OR), Local Project (Long Island, NY), One One Six Two Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), and The Dojo (Chicago, IL). Her video works have been screened at venues including the Chicago Cultural Center as a part of MANA Contemporary’s Body + Camera Festival, The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago as a part of Chicagoland Shorts Film Festival, Open Signal PDX, and Southsound Experimental Film Festival (Seattle & Portland). Sova holds a BA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago and is a proud grad school dropout.
Rubus Discolor Project
1738 N. Colfax St.
Portland, OR 97217
On view: February 12 - March 12, 2023
Open Sundays:
Sun, Feb 12 - 2 - 4pm
Sun, Feb 19 - 2 - 4pm
Sun, Feb 26 - 2 - 4pm with a performance @ 5pm
Sun, Mar 5 - 2 - 4pm
Sun, Mar 12 - 2 - 4pm and a conversation between the artist and curator, Leslie Hickey, will take place at 1pm.
Also open by appointment.