The artwork of Mark Jenkins inhabits an uncomfortable space, a sort of uncanny valley. His sculptures are almost too realistic. The bodies and clothing of his human-like sculptures are generally inconspicuous. However, the situations the sculptures find themselves in are unsettling. Often installed in public, the people represented by Jenkins’ sculptures seem to care little for their physical safety or social norms – the sculptures interact with public surroundings in ways that are generally unacceptable. Their otherwise normal appearance somehow heightens the tension in his installations. Though Jenkins might create his sculptures in a studio art tradition, they definitely operate with much of the subversiveness of street art.
Also be sure to check out the work of Mark Jenkins in Hi-Fructose Volume 24 and Hi-Fructose Collected Volume 2.
