Jenny Balisle created “Sleep Privilege”, 2020, Custom cross-stitch, 6.5 x 6.5 x 2.5 inches—a tiny work with a big impact in “Deadlocked and Loaded”. So much wasted potential in the tragic loss of this young woman, Breonna Taylor. Balisle stitches “sleep privilege” in white against a black background, a simple but astute statement that reflects on white privilege, a stark reminder on what is ever present in the lives of people of color. Even at home, tucked in their beds and asleep, they are not safe.
Balisle says, “My art practice investigates symbols of influence and power that impact perception. The art serves as a memorial to how privilege benefits a few, while some pay the ultimate price for sheer existence. Breonna Taylor, an EMT and aspiring nurse, was shot to death by police late at night at home. The basic routine of life within personal space regurgitates systematic racism. Despite numerous attempts to whitewash and sanitize history, America continues to gaslight its original sin.”
Jenny E. Balisle earned a B.A. in Art and Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a M.F.A. from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. Exhibits include the de Young Museum Artist-in-Residence, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Chicago Cultural Center, Korean Cultural Center, Harvard University, Farmington Museum, Museu Brasileiro Sao Paulo, and Shanghai Oil Painting & Sculpture Institute Art Museum. Her work has been featured in such publications as The Huffington Post, WOMENCINEMAKERS, A5 Magazine, ZYZZYVA, The Drum Literary Magazine, and Sculptural Pursuits Magazine. Public art includes The Cube Art Project, Hearts in San Francisco, and South San Francisco Utility Box Mural Project. Balisle works as an artist, advocate, curator, writer, lecturer, and instructor at the Academy of Art University, UC Berkeley Extension, and Diablo Valley College.
Learn more http://jennyebalisle.com and @jennyebalisle
