Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art

Styrofoam and cardboard, the symbols of our consumer culture, are the materials of choice for Brooklyn-based artist Jason Rogenes. Making use of commonly disregarded aesthetic attributes, including their inherent surface qualities, color, and varying degrees of translucency, he creates large-scale installations, suspended sculptures, and reliefs. Illuminated from the inside, the works acquire a monumental and spiritual presence usually associated with totems or space stations, and are equally representative of human aspirations and accomplishments.

Rogenes affords as much care and attention in the treatment of his abundantly available material as a sculptor working in marble or alabaster would. Piece by individually carved piece is assembled into a complex structure, thoughtfully fit together according to the rules of his artistic vision. What he offers is not only a creative way of looking at everything in our environment beyond assigned functions and limitations but also an opportunity to reimagine ourselves with open eyes for endless possibilities.

Conceptually connected to the sculptural work are his drawings, which are sometimes created as preparatory studies for his sculptures, sometimes as documentation following the installation. A number of these drawings, executed in ink and watercolor on paper, will be on view as part of the exhibition at BMoCA, adding a two-dimensional component to the experience.

Jason Rogenes was born in 1971 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He holds an MFA from the University of California at Santa Barbara (1996) and a BA from University of California, San Diego (1993). His work has been shown at Big Light Show, Anderson Ranch, Snowmass, CO (2010); Manuf®actured: The conspicuous transformation of everyday objects, Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, OR (catalogue) (2008); Site-specific Installation at Navy Pier Walk, Chicago, curated by David Pagel (2003).