Jessi Reaves
Reflect as one
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
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Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
Jessi Reaves, Natural light, 2023, Wood, metal, paint, fabric, lace, lamp wiring, hardware, sawdust, woodglue, 145 × 60 × 47 cm (detail). Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Alex Kostromin
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
Jessi Reaves, Three layers, the same reward, 2023, wood, metal, fabric, batting, paint, 79 × 66 × 215 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, 2023, digital video, edition of 1/5, 9 minutes 44 seconds. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris.
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
Jessi Reaves, Mirror w/ moodboard, 2024, Metal, mirror, paper, adhesive, 38 × 31 × 18 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Alex Kostromin
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
Jessi Reaves, Desk w/ skirt, 2024, Wood, fabric, paint, glass, hardware, 157 × 109 × 44 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Alex Kostromin
Jessi Reaves, Desk w/ skirt, 2024, Wood, fabric, paint, glass, hardware, 157 × 109 × 44 cm (detail). Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Alex Kostromin
Jessi Reaves, Atmosphere desk, 2023, Wood, paint, resin, sawdust, wood-glue, particle board, hardware, junk, fabric, 122 × 185 × 44 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo.
Jessi Reaves, Atmosphere desk, 2023, Wood, paint, resin, sawdust, wood-glue, particle board, hardware, junk, fabric, 122 × 185 × 44 cm (detail). Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Alex Kostromin
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
Jessi Reaves, Evidence collage 2, 2024, Print on paper, adhesive, Variable dimensions. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo.
Jessi Reaves, The past is rubble, 2023, Metal, acrylic, leather, fabric, lamp, wiring and hardware, 48 × 40 × 40 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Alex Kostromin.
Jessi Reaves, Reflect as one, exhibition view, 2024, Crèvecœur, Paris. Courtesy of the artist and Crèvecœur, Paris. Photo: Martin Argyroglo
On an evening flight last year, I watched the 2008 American movie The Women. I learned later it was a melodramatic remake of the 1939 film directed by George Cukor. I fell asleep, listening to the audio with my eyes closed, fading in and out of consciousness. This experience, and the scattered memory of the movie, reminded me of childhood—passively absorbing television (watching or hearing), hardly paying attention.
I don’t have the best attention span for video art. When I encounter it in the midst of an exhibition I usually resent the duration. I worry that I’m spending so much time on one artwork when I could be seeing dozens of others, or that I’m coming into the work too close to its ending. I do, however, envy and adore the medium for its contrast to sculpture: its weightlessness and ability to be in two places at once.
At the time I started working on the video in this exhibition I didn’t have the title Reflect as one in mind, but I was thinking in personal terms. The idea here is obvious: the familiar voices of the actresses in The Women have been cut and collaged, aiming to create the effect of a movie playing in the background while passively watching it. Perhaps you miss an important part of the plot and the movie takes on a new meaning in its absence. My niece is the main character—but my hope is that all of the actresses reflect as one person. I like using the image of a young girl as a stand-in for myself, mostly because she is relieved of seriousness and control. Her loose movements and innocence easily contrast the melodrama of the appropriated audio. Through strategic cropping and replicated parts of costumes, the character travels through different stages of life, or different parts of a fantasy about their future.
In contrast to my original interest and intention with video, I’ve wound up re-packaging a generic monitor as a sculpture. The sculptures work hard to distract from the video, even if some offer an opportunity to sit and watch. Maybe something’s digging into your back, the outline of a Hollywood star making a temporary impression through your shirt?
Jessi Reaves
