“Light Holding,” an exhibition by Jenna Gribbon at MassimoDeCarlo, London

The Knoxville-born, Brooklyn-based artist, Jenna Gribbon questions the feelings and implications of seeing and being seen through her paintings. Her work breaks down the roles of the artist, viewer and subject and the relationship between them. Light does not cast it’s dramatic glow from beyond the canvas but is brought to centre-stage, revealing the process used to compose the works with a simple clamp light. When pointed by the artist, the light illuminates yet imposes the subject as they squint and shield themselves from the discomfort it causes; when the subject holds the light, the vision of the artist, and viewer, is obscured as full comprehension of the scene is denied. With the spotlight pointed at the viewer the balance is flipped as we squirm under the gaze of surveillance, making it impossible to ignore the question of whether we are truly wanted, or needed, in the scene.

On view now until February 26 2022 at MassimoDeCarlo
55 South Audley Street, London

Photos by Jethro Turner