The power of colour-The brilliant painting of Jennifer Packer

There is this lightness in the movement at first glance at Jennifer Parker’s painting, a relaxed posture, bodies that are kind of poured on their chairs and couches, a jazz sense of the everyday, a breeze-like feeling.

And there, between the trivial the colourful living rooms or studios, the fans all over the place, the implication of the heat, some minor features work as a fuse, ready to produce the explosion, an explosion of feelings or anger.

Jennifer Packer. Blessed Are Those Who Mourn (Breonna! Breonna!), (2020)

The big boom - a small black painting where you just can see a rope and a hand is called Swim. In Breonna’s living room, the staircase feels like blood. And up there, a bluebird.

Jennifer Packer. Swim (2011)

Parker’s painting practice is extraordinary; I couldn’t use another adjective; there are really no words to describe her wise use of colour the way figures are appearing like they are the colour itself, its dripping and flowing that creates them like nature makes the rocks or a face is occurring on a marble floor or like skin colour is so critical and lethal in western societies- how colour is making us.

Jennifer Packer. The mind is its own place (2020)

  But her most powerful aspects are the details. Small, almost indiscernible details, full of meaning and intense feeling. Like pins. Those purple fingers, a table leg melt in a hand, a blue shoulder strap, a pair of eyes.

Jennifer Packer. Tomashi (2016)

It would be easy to accuse her of showing off her unbelievable mastery if she wasn’t so profoundly political, if everything about her brushing gesture was not so full of essence.

If you couldn’t feel the stress behind the relaxed postures, the freakiness of the rope, the sadness of blue, the reference of the purple, the stairway to heaven —and all those flowers.

Jennifer Packer. Absence, a condition (2020)

So cunningly and tragically put among them.

 Jennifer Packer’s exhibition The Eye Is Not Satisfied With Seeing will be shown at The Serpentine South Gallery until August the 22nd, 2021.