SEASONALLY PRODUCED
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SEASONALLY PRODUCED <>
Features for July – August
JESSICA DRENK
Urbane presents a selection of three new artworks for this first edition of SEASONALLY PRODUCED. A range of her material explorations, these artworks range from the Aggregate series of paper, mail, and cardboard; rough edged books and wax; to carved pencils that flip interior to exterior.
Junk mail, cardboard
34.50h x 40.50w x 2d in
87.63h x 102.87w x 5.08d cm
Jessica Drenk is an American artist raised in Montana, where she developed an appreciation for the natural world that remains an important inspiration to her artwork today. Tactile and textural, her sculptures highlight the chaos and beauty that can be found in simple materials.
“My work is an inquiry into materiality: what makes up the objects that surround us as well as the composition of the natural world. I am interested in how parts combine to create a whole and the intricacies of shape and texture found in the world on every scale. In treating everyday objects as raw material to sculpt, I practice a form of conceptual alchemy: through physically manipulating these objects their meanings become transmuted. Each piece is a direct response to material—a subversion of the meanings associated with it, and a reference to the life cycle of objects through time.”
— Jessica Drenk
Books and Wax
56h x 45w x 3.50d in
142.24h x 114.30w x 8.89d cm
Pencils and Glue
26h x 19w x 19d in
66.04h x 48.26w x 48.26d cm
“When one first encounters the sculptural artwork and installations of American artist Jessica Drenk a sense of wonderment and even bafflement can ensue. You could be forgiven for thinking initially you have stumbled upon a presentation of natural specimens - albeit not immediately recognizable in their source - or of geological samples. It is only as one engages more deeply with greater patience that it becomes apparent Drenk has fabricated - with wit, elegance, and a zen-like approach - and manipulated these materials into the objects we ponder. ”
ROBERT MINERVINI
Following successful inclusion at Felix Fair in Los Angeles, New York based artist Robert Minervini recently shared with us three recent paintings for the first iteration of Seasonally produced.
Robert in his San Francisco studio
My work examines the shifting relationship between the natural world and the built environment through the creation of invented spatial narratives. Working across painting, drawing, and site-specific murals, I utilize tropes from art history, science fiction, and the everyday to construct "non-places" that feel simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic.
Stylistically I am interested in hyper-faux-naturalism—a version of reality heightened by digital intervention and the camera lens. My process is a meticulous physical translation of digital collage into traditional media. I utilize hand-cut stencils, airbrushing, and traditional brushwork to create a tension between the "digitally flat" surface of acrylics and the evident "hand" of the artist. This technical friction underscores the overarching theme of my work: the artifice inherent in our contemporary perception of nature.
Whether depicting grand, desolate landscapes or intricate still lifes set against hazy cityscapes, my work addresses the sublime in an age of climate crisis and urban expansion. By isolating objects—such as flora positioned against construction sites—I invite the viewer to reflect on the ecological impact of humanity and the resilience of the organic within our increasingly structured world.
- Robert Minervini
