VIEWING ROOM:
Jazmine Catasús
Jazmine Catasús is the recipient of Black Ball Projects’ 2024 Micro-Grant.
Artist Talk: On Wednesday, February 26 at 7pm ET, artist and independent curator Christina Massey will be in discussion with Jazmine Catasús about her work, process, inspiration, and more.
Join the live artist talk on zoom
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 26th, 7pm ET (4pm PT):
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89869782394?pwd=bLE9fbsIdrhA639bn0SmZjc8vsLnbX.1
Meeting ID: 898 6978 2394
Passcode: 214016
"My curiosity lies in the transformative potential of materials to imbue objects or spaces with sacred significance. Crafting, for me, is a means of gaining knowledge, exploring what kind of knowledge embeds itself in these objects during the creative process. I scrutinize ornamentation as a material strategy, emphasizing its role beyond surface embellishment, as it builds knowledge systems and influences the manipulation of matter for political power, identity affirmation, or cosmic connection. Drawing from my Afro-Caribbean background, my work incorporates recurring symbols like the door-knocker earring and vevè, each carrying cultural specificity and collective memory. "
124 (The Will to Adorn series)
45 x 27 inches, cast paper, pigment, and aggregate on wood, 2023
Jazmine Catasús is an artist and educator working primarily with print and papermaking. Her practice is concerned with the intersections between ornamentation, materiality, spirituality and Black Subjectivity. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she was awarded the New Artist Society Award.
As an educator, Catasús has taught printmaking and papermaking courses at several institutions, including Dieu Donné, the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, the International Print Center of New York, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Noguchi Museum. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute. Her work has been exhibited nationally, most recently at the National Arts Club (NYC). She is the Artistic Director/Master Printer at EFA-Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop and served on the Board of Hand Papermaking Inc. Jazmine has attended residencies at The Bard Graduate Center, The Penland School of Crafts, and the Morgan Conservatory.
PAPER PULP PAINTINGS
algia
#140 x 30 inches, paper pulp & ink on fabric, 2020
Made of paper pulp combined with ink, guache, graphite, pencil, and other elements, these paintings are works on canvas, fabric, and/or acrylic sheets that incorporate paper into the “hand” of the artist, paper becomes the very makeup of the image.
Joumou
28 x 36 inches, paper pulp, graphite, & ink on fabric, 2021
“My paintings represent a journey of deep exploration. I began creating these “pulp paintings” after a long hiatus from painting. They embody a space of material exploration, intuition, and a dialogue of form. My interest in liminality, as well as the interplay between transparency and opacity, manifests in the chiffon fabric that serves as a bridge between the painted surface and the wall behind it.”
for Nereyda
58 x 58 inches, paper pulp & ink on fabric, 2023
for Daphne
58 x 58 inches, paper pulp & ink on fabric, 2021
CAST PAPER
Ritual of Ornament
82 x 64 inches, handmade paper cast, plexi glass, & found objects, 2022
These 2021-2022 pieces by Catasús blur the lines between painting and sculpture. They are literally works on paper, made of paper. While they are almost flat pieces, the embossed nature of the handmade paper and the sculptural elements that burst through foreshadow future sculptures.
Mal de Ojo
17 x 14 inches, cast handmade paper and quartz aggregate, 2021
untitled
14 x 17 inches, cast handmade paper and quartz aggregate, 2021
CAST PAPER & PAPER PULP SCULPTURES
Omi 630 (The Will to Adorn series)
53 x 24 inches, cast paper, pigment, aggregate, and metal chain on wood, 2023
“The “Will to Adorn” series is created from multiple casts of small molds. These relief sculptures allow me to produce something small each day. Finding moments between work, teaching, and parenting. Over time, I accumulated enough material to compose larger pieces.”
Will to Adorn (4124)
15.5 in x 8 in,Cast Cotton, Silica, Pigment, blue quartz aggregate. 2024
“I examine the roles of ornamentation in building knowledge systems and delve into how we manipulate matter to enhance political power, affirm identity, or connect with the cosmos. I am thinking about how ornamentation can be understood as a material strategy for marking the sacred or declaring identity rather than something simply placed upon a surface.”
patois/relics #4
7 x 5 inches, metal, paper pulp, paint pigment, & abaca on wood, 2019
“Currently the relief sculpture series builds on sacred object display and veneration to consider ritual and adornment, while gleaning from Black American and Afro Caribbean history and culture. I think about the actions we take to mark the sacred and how ordinary objects oscillate between the sacred and the profane.
I am thinking about ornament and adornment as methodologies, and how they contribute to new knowledge or new ways of conveying the complexities of the contemporary Black diaspora. How does the culture of embellishing material, or ornamentation make shifting social and spiritual paradigms tangible. My work and subsequent research are concerned with the use of everyday materials to embellish, enshroud, and imbue or preserve an object's inherent sacred attachments. I examine the roles of ornamentation in building knowledge systems and delve into how we manipulate matter to enhance political power, affirm identity, or connect with the cosmos. I am thinking about how ornamentation can be understood as a material strategy for marking the sacred or declaring identity rather than something simply placed upon a surface.”
IN THE STUDIO
Jazmine Catasús Lecture at Bard Graduate Center: Ritual of Ornament
Works in progress in the artist's studio
