Voyeuristic by Nature: Jenna Gribbon’s Solo Exhibition ‘Light Holding’
Walking into American artist Jenna Gribbon’s solo exhibition titled Light Holding at MASSIMODECARLO’s London gallery feels like mistakenly entering into the bedroom of a stranger - there are mixed feelings of both curiosity and embarrassment.
Gribbon defines her work as “looking at the looking,” and by breaking down traditional relationships between viewer, subject, and artist through unconventional composition and perspective, she displaces the male gaze by creating works that are from the perspective of a woman looking at another woman.
Playing with power structures by utilising the motif of a clamp light, her work most often focuses on the construction of intimacy, wherein she paints the two most intimate relationships in her life - her girlfriend and her son.
Jenna Gribbon in her studio. Photo by Annie Klebanoff. Courtesy of the artist and MASSIMODECARLO.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1978, Gribbon’s passion for art was kindled at an early age. In 2001, she completed her BFA at the University of Georgia, where she established her signature figurative style that we see today. Two years later, she moved to New York where she worked as a studio assistant for Jeff Koons before beginning her career as an artist living off commissions. She later completed her MFA at Hunter College and currently lives and works in Brooklyn.
Installation view. Photo by Todd-White Art Photography. Courtesy of MASSIMODECARLO.
The first room of the gallery is dominated by two large oil on linen canvases titled Stormy sea tropescape (2021) and Bioluminescencescape (2021). Both depict Gribbon’s girlfriend Mackenzie Scott from the viewpoint of Gribbon herself, lying with her legs spread wide and peering through her thighs to look at her lover.
Jenna Gribbon, M lighting me, 2021. Oil on linen. 121.9 x 91.4 cm. Photo by Todd-White Art Photography. Courtesy of MASSIMODECARLO.
In these large works, Gribbon’s loose and emotive brushstrokes accentuate the soft limbs that are intertwined with tender familiarity. The fluidity with which the many layers of orange, blue, yellow, and purple paint are applied emphasises her understanding of every inch of her subject’s flesh. Interestingly, Gribbon has mentioned that her girlfriend is often mistaken as being the artist, as she features so prominently in the works and is painted with such complete familiarity that they read more like self-portraits.
Further, Gribbon’s paintings almost resemble film stills, with the movement and emotion within each artwork telling its own story. Like a film, Gribbon has carefully constructed each painting to comment on how we are accustomed to viewing and interpreting depictions of relationships. She notes:
It was important to me, in general, to emphasize the ‘constructedness’ of these images, so that the viewer is asked to question the authenticity of imagery they think of as ‘intimate.’
Each painting is meticulously planned, with tenderness and familiarity juxtaposed by the clamp light featured in a number of her works - a reference to the old masters and their utilisation of a light source to highlight the most important figures as well as play with shadow and tone. Here, Gribbon’s use of the clamp light is not only for aesthetic drama but also represents a symbol of power, with the light held by the one who holds the power. We see how it shifts from when the subjects are holding it versus when the light is shining back at them, thus making the viewer “aware that sometimes being viewed or being the subject can be uncomfortable,” as noted by Gribbon.
Jenna Gribbon, Parted curtainscape, 2021. Oil on linen. 203.2 × 162.5 cm. Photo by Todd-White Art Photography. Courtesy of MASSIMODECARLO.
Gribbon constantly challenges the viewer’s role as a silent observer and her scenes can be characterised as something between voyeuristic and familiar. The exhibition can be categorised into three sizes, each with its own unique style and perspective.
Her larger paintings are called ‘scapes’ and refer to both landscapes and body scapes of faux-intimacy through tender moments of nakedness. These works are characterised by expressive brushstrokes and countless layers of paint create a depth that brings the flesh of the subjects to life.
Jenna Gribbon, Acid rococo tenderscape, 2021. Oil on linen. 203.2 x 162.5 cm. Photo by Todd-White Art Photography. Courtesy of MASSIMODECARLO.
In Examinationscape (2021), Gribbon paints Mackenzie using fluorescent tones of pink to accentuate her nipples. This motif of fluorescent pink nipples is consistent throughout the artist’s oeuvre as a larger commentary on the controversial dialogue surrounding female nipple censorship on social media. It forces them to the forefront of our attention. The fluoro nipple is a symbol for the need to clarify that the nakedness she is painting is not at all similar to the way women have been portrayed throughout history. They are not ‘benign nudes’ devoid of emotion. They are real, physical bodies. The nipples are so visible that they are impossible not to confront.
Her medium-sized portraits are more evenly scaled and further question power dynamics within the tradition of portraiture. The clamp light also features heavily in this series and is directed either at the viewer, the artist, or the muse.
The smaller paintings are freeze frames taken with Gribbon’s own phone and often depict very real moments - the most authentic kind of depictions of domesticated intimacy that come from living with a partner. A beautiful example is Couch cramps (2021), which shows Mackenzie glassy-eyed and holding a hand to her forehead and a hot water bottle to her abdomen in a private and incredibly vulnerable moment at home.
Jenna Gribbon, Examinationscape, 2021. Oil on linen. 203.2 x 165 cm. Photo by Todd-White Art Photography. Courtesy of MASSIMODECARLO.
As said by Gribbon herself, “figurative work is inherently voyeuristic” and through Light Holding, she wants to make her audience aware of that. Ultimately, the exhibition succeeds and is a triumphant example of her exploration of figurative painting in the 21st century, commenting discerningly on the way we read intimacy and relationships.
Light Holding is on view until 26 February 2022 at MASSIMODECARLO in London.
Mithra Stevens
Features Co-Editor, MADE IN BED