Jan Wurm

Roll Up Project is pleased to present two recent paintings by Jan Wurm. Wurm’s narrative paintings use body language, metaphors, and color to explore powerful emotions and interpersonal dynamics.

In the triptych titled Facility, three young boys sit on the floor of a chain-linked cage, looking despondent and cold. Their black garments almost blend in with the floor, making them hard to see despite the brightness of the yellow background. In the right and left panels, monkeys in cages engage with the viewer. One appears to be an adult with a baby, and the other – possibly a youth – stands with his hands on the bars of the cage. All of the figures in this triptych have been removed from their original contexts, victims of a system beyond their control. Seeing them from the other side of the cage, we as viewers become participants, though it is left up to us to decide whether our role is as witness, voyeur, or imprisoner.

Hoops is displayed in the window on Third Street. In the left panel of the diptych, a nude woman sitting on a red stool leans toward a male figure at left. He is reflected in a gilt-framed mirror in the background, possibly holding a stick behind his back or resting his arm on the tall leg of the stool. The effect is that of two men turning away from the woman. Her body language is defensive, hiding her naked body in a vulnerable crouch-like stance. In the right panel, a lion sitting on a red pedestal looks up as a ringmaster in a red coat and top hat holds a gold ring. The ringmaster is faced toward the lion, trying to communicate with his whole body. Hoops encourages the viewer to think about who wields control in these performative environments. How is power used, and what are its net effects on the woman and the animal? As viewers, how do our pre-existing notions influence our perception of their power or control of the situations depicted? Will they fight back or lash out in the circus tent, or perform without incident for the entertainment of others?

About the Artist

Jan Wurm is an artist, educator, and curator engaged in expanding the community forum for contemporary art dialogue. Wurm taught for UC Berkeley Extension, the ASUC Art Studio, and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She served on the Steering Committee of the Cal Art Alumni Group organizing and moderating six annual symposia. She has lectured extensively as a guest artist and taught in the Sommerakademie in Neumarkt, Austria. Wurm organized and facilitated a Guest Artist Lecture Series for the Berkeley Art Center for 5 years. Her writings on art and society have been published by Routledge in WS, Women’s Studies Journal of Claremont Graduate University. She has juried and judged exhibitions as well as an artist residency for the National Park Service. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is in collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, the New York Public Library Print Collection, San Diego Museum of Art, Monterey Museum of Art, the Archives of American Art in Washington, D.C., the Archive Verein der Berliner Künstlerinnen in Berlin, and the Universität für angewandte Kunst in Vienna. Wurm was engaged as Director of Exhibitions and Curator of Art at the Richmond Art Center where her projects included Closely Considered: Diebenkorn in Berkeley, Mildred Howard: Spirit & Matter, David Park: Personal Perspectives, The Human Spirit: Contemporary Figuration as an Expression of Humanism, and Mapping the Uncharted.

Learn more about Jan Wurm on her website and Instagram (@janwurmcalifornia).