The compositional elements of the drawings reflect Vala's concern with a contemporary revisiting of ancient forms. Just as Isis' veil winds and twists, Vala's compositions trail down the paper, with perspective, scale and shadow losing their logical solidity. With a nod to Chinese scrolls, each piece posits a linear representation of the subject's life path through a successive series of struggles. Vala uses the Tibetan vajra-rock islands or cliffs (inverted pyramids upon which wrathful deities rest) as the stage for the girls' confrontations with their demons. Moreover, the intensity and gravity of the narrative are punctuated by the total absence of color throughout the exhibition.

Jessie Rose Vala (B. 1977, Madison, Wisconsin) lives and works in Portland, Oregon. Vala is an installation artist, working in drawing, painting, ceramic and paper sculpture, video, and environmental design. In 2006, Jessie exhibited Lace Overtures, an installation featuring an intricate diorama incorporating cut paper sculpture, graphite drawings, lighting treatments and soft sculpture at Aqua Art Miami, (concurrent with Art Basel Miami Beach) to which Adam Weinberg, Director of the Whitney, remarked "C'est parfait!". Vala is a graduate of CCA in San Francisco with a BFA in painting and sculpture (1999). Her work has been shown in Miami, Chicago, Portland, Brooklyn and Oakland, among others

Although the tomes of The Tortuous Veil are preoccupied with power, violence and the shadow self, they tempered by the delicacy and sublime beauty of the drawings themselves. Hope and redemption are suggested within the narrative itself and by the graceful and detailed rendering. The exhibition also includes delicate paper sculptures of aspen trees and tombstones, emblems of fragility, impermanence and regeneration. Ultimately, this body of work is a striking neo-mythological exploration, exhibiting both rigorous artistry and allegorical inquiry.




Images from Top:


Jessie Rose Vala, "The Rising Dawn", 2007 (Detail)


Jessie Rose Vala, "The Rising Dawn", 2007 (Detail)


Jessie Rose Vala, "My Sinews Take No Rest";, 2007 (Detail)