Self-Explanatory

Self-Explanatory, Claire Jorgensen’s first solo exhibition at The Fifty Fifty Arts Collective, studies selfhood through a lens of loss, grief, and change, while acknowledging the natural growing pains that emerge from moving through contemporary culture as a young adult. Using her likeness and that of her family, her paintings function as a site of reflection and nostalgia.
Jorgensen’s practice grew significantly during a ten-month self-directed study period in the UK at Newcastle University. Her research evolved from an exploration of personal grief, stemming from a family death that occurred while living away from home. Feeling numb and disconnected, and finding it impossible to share in the grief genuinely given the distance, she turned to portraiture.
In her latest series, she creates haunting large-scale portraits using digital and analog collage processes, translating them into acrylic paintings. What emerges is a collection of distorted faces, each sharing her distinct familial likeness. Working in this scale immerses her within a surreal painted world, forcing her to confront her own relationship with the faces she is actively constructing.
At a pivotal period of her life, within a tumultuous time in history, Jorgensen’s practice continues to change and develop, while remaining rooted in portraiture and the messiness of the human experience.