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Jayme McLellan: Jealousy of Clouds

June 14 - July 27, 2013

Opening Reception: Friday, June 14, 6-8 pm

 

Heiner Contemporary is delighted to present Jayme McLellan: Jealousy of Clouds, a solo exhibition featuring photography, video and installation by the Washington, D.C. based artist.  Jealousy of Clouds centers on Th�ch Nhất Hạnh's Buddhist fable about a stream who is jealous of the clouds, wishing to have them all to herself. As the stream chases the clouds, her resentment grows until one day she realizes that what she longs to possess is already inside of her.  Both the river and the clouds are made of water and together they share the vast blue sky. Through text and a mosaic of cloud photographs and video, McLellan re-presents the story, inviting viewers to meditate on the beauty and connectedness of the natural world and each other.

 

While McLellan's photographs depict specific skies from DC to Mexico, the imagery is universal. The compositions are serendipitously captured (often with an iphone or digital SLR) and serve as an homage to the transience of clouds, which inherently change and disappear. McLellan explains, "This is a tale about opening up, letting go, and being. But it is also about jealousy and control. We all seek to control the uncontrollable. Tame the untamable. And in doing so we crush a bit of our own wildness and freedom. The trick is to be able to master yourself and your own need to control and own." At the end of Nhất Hạnh's story the river learns, "there is nothing to chase after-we can go back to ourselves, enjoy our breathing, our smiling, ourselves, and our beautiful environment."

 

Jayme McLellan is an artist, educator, curator and gallery director. She graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland and is the founding director of Civilian Art Projects, a DC gallery representing emerging and established artists. Since 1996, she has organized and curated countless exhibitions and events to promote art, artists, and ideas of social importance.  In addition to running Civilian, Jayme is adjunct faculty at the Maryland Institute College of Art and American University, where she leads classes on professional development for artists. She is also project manager for HARD ART DC 1979 (Akashic Books), a book and traveling exhibition about the birth of the D.C. punk movement.

 

Jayme McLellan: Jealousy of Clouds will be on view at Heiner Contemporary June 14 - July 27, 2013. The gallery will host an opening reception on Friday, June 14, from 6-8pm. Heiner Contemporary is located at 1675 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. For more information about the gallery and any upcoming exhibitions, email info@heinercontemporary.com or visit the website at www.heinercontemporary.com.

 


  STASH, featuring works by Polly Apfelbaum, Ingrid Calame, Tara Donovan, Deborah Kass, Kate Shepherd, Jon-Phillip Sheridan and Austin Thomas, will remain on view at Heiner Contemporary through June 8th.
 
Artwork 
Jayme McLellan, Satchmo, 2013  

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