Jacque White is a visual artist graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2017 with her BFA in a dual concentration of Drawing and Painting and two minors in Psychology and Metalsmithing and Jewelry Practices. Her background in psychological studies influenced her senior thesis show in Bates Gallery, “Just Ask the Lonely”, discussing and expressing the experiences and torments of mental illness. During her time in Edinboro, White interned at the Erie Art Museum as a Museum Studies Intern where she participated in many community events under the supervision of a strong female curator. In 2017 White worked at Chautauqua Lake Institute as a gallery assistant, where she truly began to create and shape her ideas for her present series of works describing and separating women from the sexual and critical gaze. From there she moved to Philadelphia to continue her work showing in local galleries, such as Little Berlin, and attending Studio Incamminati. In 2019 White moved to Brooklyn, NY where she completed the Undergraduate Summer Residency Program and enrolled for her CFA at the New York Academy of Art in Manhattan.
Statement
Jacque White’s figurative paintings depict and often challenge societal ideals expected of her as a young gay woman, an emerging artist, and a budding pescatarian. In her often sardonic portraits, the figure playfully teases or mocks the role put out for them. Whether that be through anthropomorphized animals and objects or a warped scene, nothing is meant to be taken quite literally while also outlining a very literal and serious situation. Her images display the intricacies of social stereotypes of women with a twist of humor and irony. Often these works feature a cartoon character representing America’s omnipresent masculinity. Multiple mediums are used, some rather unconventional like faux fur, string, or a cigarette butt. The addition of these sculptural elements permeate the space as no longer a flat representation to be looked upon, but rather a tangible object entering into the viewer's world, mirroring the often unspoken rules and prejudices that need to be thrust at the viewer in order to be seen. An open invitation, White lures the viewer in to explore moments in life they too may have uncannily and unfairly experienced.