Jessica Joslin combines found animal bones and antiques into sculptures of robotic-looking creatures with a Victorian sensibility. Balanced on balls and suspended from hooks, the performing animals in Joslin’s latest series will be on view February 6 through March 1 for her solo show, “Animal Alchemy,” at Lisa Sette Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ. “I see my latest sculptures as a continuation of a larger body of work, but the two aspects that set these particular pieces apart are interaction and miniaturization,” Joslin commented. Some of the works in the show, like the sloth, sea turtle and baby bat, are small enough to hold in the palm of one’s hand, while other pieces demonstrate complex relationships between the animals.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is Troy, Joslin’s playful rendition of the Trojan Horse. Troy‘s body (It’s difficult not to discuss these sculptures as if they had lives of their own) is made from a silver Russian samovar. A bird’s nest inside his belly contains silver-winged parakeets and his mane is made from spent brass bullet casings given to the artist by a policeman friend. Joslin’s world of animal bones, however, does not read as morbid. Her ability to imagine cold, unfeeling bones and metals as anthropomorphic characters balances the toughness of her media with a sense of lighthearted humor.
