Shed
SHED
Jay Senetchko's work for SHED grew naturally out of previous pursuits and was conceived as an effort to capture both the noun and verb form of the word. In so doing, I wished the work for SHED to convey a feeling of both permanence (noun) and transition (verb). Senetchko's most recent work previous to this exhibition involved the construction of a replica of his grandparent’s farmhouse. This was used as the exhibition space for a series of work that chronicled a re-imagined version of their relationship. These paintings and their installation were originally motivated by the death of his grandmother, and was initially approached as a coping mechanism. The entire series and its exhibition acted as both testimonial to the affection he has for his grandmother (and family history more generally), and a cathartic release of the grief that accompanied her death. He wished to continue both that testimonial in these works by incorporating both the materials and subject matter from that previous series. The small section of room that the paintings are installed within is a portion of the farmhouse-replica that was recently used as an installation/exhibition space, and the materials (tarpaper and plywood) that act as the substrate for both paintings are the actual materials used in that structure. Both paintings depict multiple images sourced from the documentation of both the farmhouse's construction and deconstruction, and are populated with the figures of friends and family that were instrumental in the creation, and success of that exhibition. In this previous installation Senetchko wished to create a feeling of permanence in a temporary structure populated by paintings that looked permanent but felt as though they were in transition between stages of existence. For this exhibition, I wished to underline the temporary nature of the installation component for SHED, while creating paintings that conveyed a sense of permanence event though they depict transitional actions. In creating the work for this show he wished to create something permanent as well as transitory, and in so doing pay tribute to the past while at the same time releasing that past with a testimonial to his present and future.
