"Dead Loss" by Jessica Bender

Coming on April 15, 2001: Dead Loss... an installation inspired by solitary confinement, padded cells, and blanket forts by Jessica Bender during the months of April and May, with an opening on Friday, April 15 from 6-9 pm.

Jessica is a midwest transplant to the northwest, and her art is about identity. She wants to be a vampire.


Jessica Bender, Dead Loss, installation detail at the Telephone Room Gallery, 2011.

In the meantime, browse around Jessica's blogs: http://www.cabinet713.blogspot.com/ and http://www.jessicaabender.blogspot.com/, and see more images of her work at https://picasaweb.google.com/jessica.bender.

Jessica's work has previously been seen in the Hello! and Undead group shows at the Telephone Room Gallery, as well as in a solo installation The Bluebird, inspired by Charles Bukowski and his poem My Telephone. Her art was most recently seen in Tacoma as part of the SpaceWorks Tacoma project: http://www.wait-whereami.com/ and http://spaceworkstacoma.wordpress.com/2010/09/16/.


Jessica Bender, Prey, Mixed media, 11½(w) x 9½(h) x 4(d) inches, 2009.

Jessica Bender, The Bluebird installation at the Telephone Room Gallery, 2009.
"The Bluebird is an installation inspired by and celebrating the life and work of Charles Bukowski, American poet and author, for his birthday August 16th." --Jessica Bender

Jessica Bender, The Bluebird installation at the Telephone Room Gallery, 2009.

Jessica Bender, The Bluebird installation detail at the Telephone Room Gallery, 2009.

Jessica Bender, to baby strigoli, with love, felt, leather, found buttons, ring boxes, whiskey, "blood," 2009. For sale: $66.6

Dead Loss by Jessica Bender is on view at the Telephone Room Gallery from April 15 - May 28, 2011. Viewable by appointment almost anytime -- email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com for an appointment.

Bluebird by Charles Bukowski

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?

Listen to Charles Bukowski reading The Bluebird: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmWZOsVtqR0

The Bluebird by Jessica Bender is an homage in art to Bukowski and is titled after the poem, which is a favorite of Jessica's. The Bluebird by Jessica Bender is on view from August 5 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—please email us.

The Volcano Gods notice us

Alec Clayton writes nice things about Jessica Bender's art in The Weekly Volcano today.

"The Bluebird: Jessica Bender’s tribute to Charles Bukowski"
by Alec Clayton
August 13, 2009
www.weeklyvolcano.com/2009-08-13/visual-edge/4088

Celebrating Bukowski

Jessica Bender on The Bluebird, in her own words:

"The Bluebird is an installation inspired by and celebrating the life and work of Charles Bukowski, American poet and author, for his birthday August 16th.

The work is the culmination of a week-long residency at the Two Dot Spot in Two Dot, Montana. This remote town consists of a post office and a bar, which seemed the perfect setting to channel Bukowski energy, as he worked for the post office for some time and is known for his drinking habits. Bukowski made a series of paintings/drawings using whatever was on hand. Embracing this principle, much of the work is made from materials available in Two Dot, including excavated antelope bones and moths.

As an homage, the installation includes pieces of Bukowski’s text, including the show title 'The Bluebird,' an influential poem for this work."








Jessica Bender, The Bluebird (work in progress), mixed media, 2009. Photos courtesy the Telephone Room Gallery.

Jessica's blogs: www.cabinet713.blogspot.com and www.jessicaabender.blogspot.com
blog about Two Dot, Montana that has a bit about Jessica's artist-in-residency there: www.twodotspot.blogspot.com
Charles Bukowski website: www.bukowski.net

The Bluebird by Jessica Bender is on view from August 5 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—please email us.

The Bluebird

The Bluebird by Jessica Bender is inspired by Charles Bukowski, and his poem My Telephone, for his birthday month.

More about Jessica Bender's art and Charles Bukowski:
www.cabinet713.blogspot.com
www.jessicaabender.blogspot.com
www.bukowski.net

The idea for Jessica Bender's show started with Bukowski's poem My Telephone, which made her think of the Telephone Room Gallery. Her installation piece is an homage to Bukowski involving bottles, bones, a pillow, and more. The Bluebird is another Bukowski poem that Jessica enjoys.

The Telephone Room Gallery will be hosting an open house for The Bluebird on Friday, August 7 from 5:00-9:00 pm. Please email us at thetelephoneroom@gmail.com for directions if you are interesting in visiting.

Jessica Bender, The Bluebird (work in progress), mixed media, 2009. Photos courtesy the Telephone Room Gallery.

The Bluebird by Jessica Bender is on view from August 5 - 31, 2009 in the Telephone Room Gallery. Viewable by appointment almost anytime—please email us.