Since the Early Renaissance art period, artists have been creating Self Portraits. They are a vital part in the history of art, as well as current art practices. Self portraits have changed throughout the years, from the exact physical replications of the past, to the interpretive, abstracted self portraits of today. Two Alfred MFA graduates who presented their thesis shows in 2009 utilized abstraction and narrative to portray themselves in their work. Jenna Efrein and Jessica Cappiello will be featured in an exhibit featuring their self-portraiture, opening December, 2009.
The first piece I chose for this exhibition was Jenna Efrein’s “Dissolution Threshold-Puddle” from her MFA show last year. The piece portrays a figure, seated in a hunched over position, resting its side and head against a wall, almost cowering against it. The figure is made entirely of blown glass teardrops measuring approximately three to five inches in length, that were slightly flattened, then tack fused together in a kiln so that the back resembles a figure. The front of the piece is a mass of teardrop shapes tacked together to create a single figure-shaped plane that establishes an appealing texture. These same glass teardrops are arranged in a meandering line of varying thicknesses that appears to be going towards the figure. Those closest to it have been manipulated so that the point is rising up to meet the figure, almost as if they want to climb up onto it. The arrangement of this piece gives it a somber yet hopeful feeling, while the clear, fragile-looking glass gives it a certain weightlessness that it would not have, had it been constructed with any other medium. This installation as a whole speaks of deep sadness; the teardrop shapes are in fact meant to be taken literally, and the figure's body language shows her weakness and desire to just melt into the wall and not be seen.
In her thesis paper, Jenna describes this piece as showing how she can “lose [her] sense of place in the world except to where [her] sadness is spilling out all over the floor.” This intimate portrayal of her emotions is a sterling example of her work as a whole, and her use of self-portraiture in her work. It is a lovely description of a brilliant piece of art that speaks of profound sadness to all who view it. [1]
In a recent interview with Jenna, she reflected upon her show as a whole. She stated, “The process of making the work and its completion was cathartic for [her].” She uses her artwork to get a part of herself out to the public in order to accept and move on from that moment or feeling. It is a powerful way to make art, affecting both artist and viewer so profoundly. She also states, “So much of my work is emotionally connected to myself and life circumstances that it takes months to years for me to fully understand the ramifications of what I have done. I am constantly evolving and moving forward and nothing I do and then reflect upon is the same as from its initial inception. There was almost nothing triumphant about my show for it was all about enormous amounts of pain and discomfort.” I have to disagree with the fact that she felt no triumph. I believe that there is something major to be celebrated about her being so incredibly brave and open with her feelings. It had to have been incredibly difficult to even think about doing, and she accomplished it.[2]
The second piece I chose, also from last year’s MFA thesis exhibition, was one of Jessica Capiello’s. Her piece consists of solid, kiln-cast spools that have been apparently sandblasted to a soft translucent finish and arranged on the gallery floor. Around these spools she has wrapped white thread to cover all but the ends. The threads were then attached to tiny holes in the wall to spell out a hidden word. This piece seems to create a feeling of tension in the viewer, caused by the tautness of the strings. It also portrays weight in an interesting way; the spools seem very dense and heavy, almost dragging the piece down, while the thread is fine and delicate-looking, though it can withstand the weight of the spools. This adds a vulnerable yet strong quality to the piece.
In her thesis paper, she tells a story of how throughout her life she has been surrounded by thread and yarn, and how her life began to revolve around the stories this material has brought about. Her piece speaks of this connection, and her desire to “stitch these stories into [her] body.” [3]
During her MFA show, Jessica watched many viewers have a moment of epiphany upon reading the title card for this piece. It stated what the thread was arranged to spell, which allowed for deeper insight into the piece that we currently do not have. However, I do recall the title card having to do with a personal experience that Jessica wanted to portray subtly through the piece.
Jenna and Jessica’s work would show well together in an exhibition of glass. Though they are very similar in many aspects, they are different enough as a whole to create an interesting arrangement. These two pieces have very similar footprints, with the individual parts placed on the floor to create a randomized, elongated mass of objects. They both use the materials very effectively, in completely different ways. Jessica uses cast glass in a very traditional way, but manipulated it to create a non-traditional piece, where Jenna took the traditional blown glass forms and used them in a non-traditional way by tack-fusing them. Much of Jenna’s work is done as a literal self-portrait, or as she referred to it in an interview, “self reflection”[4]; the figure in this piece seems to represent her, as do the other pieces in her MFA show (“Strain Fracture-Cracked,” and “Within the skin,” represent her figure, “Within the Skin” being a piece that she physically performed.). Jessica, however, is more subtle and figurative in portraying herself in her work. Instead of creating a replication of her physical self, she portrayed herself abstractly.
In short, the theme that encompasses Jessica and Jenna’s work is self-portraiture, specifically capturing a moment in time. Both Jessica and Jenna are narrating a specific story to the viewer that provides insight into who they are and how they think. Jessica’s portrait is of a particular event, where Jenna’s is of a feeling she had at one time, and how that feeling progressed.
Although vastly different in appearance and material, I believe that Antony Gormley’s work would show well with Jenna and Jessica’s. He creates work that is not a portrait of himself necessarily; it is a portrait of those who contribute to his art. In one of his pieces, “One & Other,” he was commissioned to install a piece in the Fourth Plinth in London. He created a web program that selected people from all over England to have “their hour upon the stage.” This “group portrait” is a stunning piece where 2,400 Britons had an hour to do with whatever they wanted. They ultimately performed a portrait of themselves, which, all together, created a portrait of Britain as a whole.[5] Another one of his pieces that will not be included in this exhibit for space reasons, “Field” consists of 40,000 primitive-looking ceramic figures produced by members of a town. Each one is a portrait of whoever created 
it; not an exact rendition, but they seem to take on the personality of the community as a whole. [6]
The space that these pieces occupy will have to be large and open to allow space for the grand installations that these artists create, as well as the performance aspect, but small enough to get the sense of the vastness and beauty of the individual parts. Upon walking into the gallery space, viewers will be confronted by a spin off of Gormley’s “One & Other;” a large stage with one person performing anything they wish upon it. The performers will be selected randomly from the attendees and gallery staff throughout the exhibit. Each will receive their 30 minutes of fame upon the stage. There will be two smaller rooms to each side of the stage, one housing Jenna Efrein’s piece, the other housing Jessica Cappiello’s. I believe that they need to be shown in separate rooms because I feel that the similarities in material and layout would confuse viewers if they showed in the same room.
[1] Jenna Efrein, Master’s thesis, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, 2009.
[2] Jenna Efrein, e-mail message to author, December 6th, 2009.
[3] Jessica Cappiello, Master’s thesis, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, 2009.
[4] Jenna Efrein, E-mail message to author, December 6th, 2009.
[5] Marcia E. Vetrocq, “Who’s on Fourth?” Art in Averca, (October ’09) 2
[6] Ina Cole, “The Relationship Between Thought and Matter, A Conversation with Antony Gormley,” Sculpture, April 2003, 43-9
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