10 Questions with Jessalyn Finch

Jessalyn Finch has been a visual artist since 2009. She received a B.S. in Fine Art in printmaking and drawing from UW-La Crosse. After graduation, she decided not to pursue art professionally until 2018, when she was awarded an Emerging Artist Grant for “Shadow Form: The Human Body’s Secret Life,” a collection of life-size figure drawings that captures the complex relationship we have with our bodies.

Post-pandemic, Finch continued to focus on the conceptual work of body perception and voyeurism. Her most notable is a line of wearable sculptures used in pop-up sculpture performances, and exhibiting the full 22-piece Shadow Form collection at the Historic Chateau Theatre in M.N. Her recent work has shifted from storytelling other’s body stories to an exploration of her own body experience through body dysmorphia, identity and sense of self. She continues to work in drawing, sculpting, and immersive experiences at her studio in Minnesota.

www.jessalynfinch.com | @wakestlife

ARTIST STATEMENT

Jessalyn Finch’s body of work combines large-scale drawing and sculpture to investigate our experiences and perceptions of the human body. Her current work explores body dysmorphia, identity, and sense of self. The themes are meant to be a catalyst for discussion and connection through shared experience.

The large-scale charcoal drawings of nudes on paper range from 7 to 10 feet in size. Finch’s drawing method focuses on creating a sense of movement and energy within each piece by mixing both surrealism and realism. During the pandemic, she added sculpture to her repertoire, creating a series of wearable sculptures to be used in live performances. These mediums are combined to create installations, performances, and immersive experiences for exhibitions. Finch strives for the art to be experienced in new ways, often with interaction and a pathway for the audience to walk through.

She states, “I want the audience to consider their own body in the narration of their life and how it affects their interactions with others and overall quality of life.” She creates work to illuminate the human form as both a prison and a vessel of creation from which all experiences are derived.

INTERVIEW

Let’s talk about yourself first. Why are you an artist, and how did you become one?

I would never have imagined that I would be an artist. In fact, I actively fought against it for a large portion of my life. I knew that I had some talent, but I had plans to be a pre-med student and a college athlete. When a devastating back injury cut my gymnastics career short, I synonymously realized that I wasn’t finding any joy in pursuing medicine, so I quit and floundering for a while. Thanks to some well-timed general education classes that I was forced to take, I fell into printmaking, figure drawing, and Eastern philosophy. These were magical worlds I didn’t know existed, coming from a very type-A life path. I graduated undergrad with the most confusing degree, Bachelor of Science in Fine Art and Eastern Philosophy.
After graduation, however, I lost my confidence to be an artist and went back to school to get a Master’s Degree in Project Management and worked at a hospital to pay off my student loans. It wasn’t until five years later (2018) that I decided that it was time to do art professionally. Although terrified, I applied for and received an emerging artist grant to create a series of 22 large-scale drawings about our relationship with our bodies. Ever since then, I am so grateful to have created collections, discovered new mediums, and continued to make work that I’m passionate about.
I feel called to be an artist. It is the one thing that I’ve found that pushes and intrigues me in a way that nothing else has. It feels both intuitive and challenging, and keeps me endlessly interested.

Shadowform Exhibition, Charcoal on Paper, 3.5 x 7ft, 2022 © Jessalyn Finch

You work with a range of different mediums and techniques; how would you define yourself as an artist?

It’s important to me that mediums, techniques, and methods don’t define me as an artist. I tend to think of myself as a mad scientist, always tinkering, learning new skills, and creating different ways to visually manifest the concepts I want to talk about. I see my artistic identity in how and why I do things. I want to create work that is impactful, unexpected, and yet thoughtful and introspective. I also value the relationship between the art and the audience. I want the audience to interact and affect the work in ways that I don’t expect. I also want the audience to be affected by the work to invite feedback and conversation.

You only resumed your art career in 2018 after a hiatus. What inspired you to go back to visual arts?

When I was on my honeymoon in Hawaii in 2018, I was there during the false missile alert, where the emergency system sent everyone a text on the island that there was an incoming missile strike. It was about 10-15 minutes of not hearing anything and wondering if you were about to die before they let everyone know that it was a mistake. After that, in talking with my partner (who was so calm during this), I realized that I felt like I hadn’t been brave enough to do art. I didn’t want to look back and regret it, so I knew it was time to level up and make it happen for me.

You work with both drawings and sculptures. How do you keep your style cohesive?

Exhibitions that are only drawings or only sculptures visually aren’t cohesive, however, they are conceptually cohesive. Also, there are a few design elements that I like to include in all exhibitions.
There is always a human-to-human interaction element to the show, whether the audience is faced with a room full of 8ft tall nude figure drawings or walking into a space where human actors are wearing the sculptures and looking back at them. A major part of my exhibitions is the response to the exhibition, so I want the works to be somewhat confrontational. The audience reaction is how I can put a spotlight on these very human experiences of body relationships, permission to view, and how our bodies affects how we interact with each other.
The other element that seems to always show up is the pathway through the space. Pathways, tunnels, or archways feel like portals into another world to me. That’s the feeling I want my exhibition to have. It’s a place where time stops, and you are able to just be present and introspective with the work.

Do you work on the same themes with both mediums? And if so, how do you approach the same theme with different techniques?

All of my work has the common thread of exploring our human experience, but each series is from a different lens. “Shadowform: The Human Body’s Secret Life” was about the relationship we have with this human body that we didn’t choose. My pop-up sculpture performances are about the permission we feel like we have to look at each other’s bodies and how that changes our interactions. “Paperdoll” is an autobiographical photography series that highlights the ever-changing “self,” and “Living in the Disconnect” is a visual representation of what I see in the mirror with body dysmorphia and the feelings that accompany it.
First, I decide what concept I want to explore, and then I open my toolbox and choose a medium or technique that best lends itself to creating a specific experience for the audience.

Thought Spirits, Charcoal on paper, 3.5 x 7ft, 2023 © Jessalyn Finch

In your statement, you mention how your work focuses on the human body, in particular, addressing body dysmorphia, identity, and the sense of self. What messages are you trying to communicate with your art?

I believe there are some truths that we all experience despite our life stories. We didn’t choose the body that we were given, and it is decaying over time (yeah, it’s a bummer, but it gets better!). This creates a dissonance in the way that our consciousness exists within it. I am confident that we have all felt discomfort in our bodies at some point. However, what’s more important than making peace with any of that, in my opinion, is knowing that you aren’t alone. Isn’t it amazing and powerful that we can connect with other people about how crazy, strange, terrifying, and yet awesome it is to get to rent one of these meat suits for this life?!

And what do you think differentiates your approach from others?

I have developed a work style that seems really intense but works for me. I have to be working on about 3 to 5 projects at all times, so when I want to procrastinate or hit an obstacle, I can jump to another project to take a break. This allows many things to move forward in parallel. It also allows me the ability to keep myself interested by having at least one of those projects be an experimental project. This means that I’m always finding new ways to problem solve and thinking about how to push the work forward to new places.

Heron’s Hunt, Cardboard, Variable dimensions, 2022 © Jessalyn Finch

Maskquerade, Cardboard, wire, LED light, 24 x 18 x 20 in, 2021 © Jessalyn Finch

How has your art evolved over the years? And what inspired you to experiment?

I think the biggest changes are that I keep getting more ambitious, I continue to reduce the importance placed on what others think I “should” be making, and I lean into the work I want to be making. It’s taken years to get out of my own way to make the work I’m so passionate about.
Experimentation is in my blood. Even when I wasn’t an artist, I was always experimenting and trying to figure out how things work. I get bored really easily when I feel like I’ve mastered something, so it’s always been important for me to keep learning out in front.

What are you working on now? Do you have any new projects or series you are currently developing?

I have a few things going on. The two main ones are “Living in the Disconnect” - the body dysmorphia series that is going to be my first multi-media collection that will blend my sculpture work with my large-scale drawing work. I’m really excited about what this will look like. It will be a walk through my head by creating a pathway of sculptures that look like neurons mixed with representations of things that have affected my body relationship. The path will lead to the large scale (8-10ft) “Thought Spirits” charcoal drawings that are surrealistic representations of different ways I’ve seen my body in the mirror.
I’m also working on an art film series called “Hypnogogic Vignettes,” which mixes the set, character, and story design into mini art films. The goal is to have the sets mobile so they can be moved around a city and create an art walk where you can go watch your favorite vignettes acted out in person. This will be a way to use a story as an accessible pathway to talk about specific themes and concepts.
And, of course, I am doing some smaller experimental projects with clothing and printmaking to add some new techniques to my repertoire.

Storm, Charcoal on Paper, 8 x 3.5 ft, 2020 © Jessalyn Finch

And lastly, what are your plans for the future? Is any publication or exhibition on the horizon?

Right now, my goal is to shift my exhibitions focus to reach new audiences in new geographical locations. I’m working on a duo show in Seattle for this coming year, as well as traveling to explore new opportunities and connections. I want to find the right fit for “Living in the Disconnect,” which will have some specific space needs. “Hypnogogic Vignettes” will start being published online early next year. I will continue to make work that I love and connect with others through it.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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