MIAMI, FL (PNAN) – On view at the Fabien Castanier Gallery is through April 23, 2002, “The Harder They Come” is the third solo exhibition by artist Mark Jenkins, featuring a new collection of his signature sculptures and installations.
Jenkins’ sculptures continue to confront viewers with reality-bending immersion that shines a spotlight on the struggles of oppression and societal imbalance within the current global political climate.
The artist’s Tableaus that are at times imaginatively witty or dark and poignant, reflect a deeper understanding of the theatricality of life. The artist creates these hyper-realistic figures from casting the bodies of real people.
By taking the realism of a life-size human sculpture and adorning it with absurdity, Jenkins exhibits an exploration of the surreal. The viewer’s reaction to the sculptures become part of the pieces, as the artist seeks to envelop the audience within the installation, holding a mirror up to the complexities of human connection and the collective unrest born from oppressive circumstances.
About
Mark Jenkins has spent the last decade bringing his artwork to a variety of important and notable global spaces. Beginning in 2017, he collaborated with Balenciaga, creating sculptures wearing the fashion house’s garments. Several projects with Balenciaga brought Jenkins’ sculptures to New York, Paris and London.
In 2019, Jenkins participated in the Rose Béton biennale/art festival held in Toulouse France, where he installed a number of sculptures in the public space. The same year, the city of Laguna Beach, California commissioned five of his figures for placement in front of their City Hall. Entitled “The Caretakers”, the sculptures were occupied with absurd activities, such as vacuuming the lawn.