Monday 9 April 2018

Introducing Jennifer Vacher

135 artists featured in "Inside Job" which took place on the 7th and 8th of April on Level 6 of Tate Modern and was visited by over 3,000 people. The Rebel Magazine has been chatting to some of the Tate staff who showed their artwork. Today it's the turn of Jennifer Vacher
Q) Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I grew up in south east London with my mum and received my secondary education at Bexley Grammar School & Sixth Form. I studied art as one of my GCSEs, which I thoroughly enjoyed until one of my teachers started lacking interest in my work due to our conflicting tastes, and so I soon found it uninspiring and went on to focus on languages whilst doing the International Baccalaureate. I then went on to study French and Italian at University of Leeds, but sadly had to drop out after a year and a half due to ill health. This September, I'll be starting Ba Scandinavian Studies (focusing on Norwegian language) at UCL, which is incredibly exciting. My greatest inspiration at school, however, was my English teacher for the IB, who really encouraged and nurtured my interest in literature, and who actually inspired me to begin writing poetry, a book of which I published in September 2016."
Q) How long have you been working at the Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? "I started working at Tate when the new extension opened, so it's coming up to two years now. My favourite show during my time working there was definitely Soul of a Nation - it was incredibly refreshing to see such a varied range of work from an important period of modern history in one exhibition that wasn't dominated by or focused on white male artists."
Q) What can you tell me about the work you exhibited in the Tate Modern show? 'Untitled (Portrait)' is a raw and intimate example of self reflection that stemmed from the poem featured in the middle, which was written approx. a year and a half ago, following a period of severe mental illness and hospitalisation. The actual paintings that feature came at later dates, when I was in a position to reflect upon the themes in the poem once again. The idea of the piece is to present the feeling of a gradual descent into uncertainty and fragility, which is why I predominantly used the colour green and strung the piece up using just pegs and string. I'm glad I was able to show it in the Inside Job Exhibition, as it is a reminder of what I have overcome now that I am able to freely display such a vulnerable aspect of my past.
Q) How can people find out more about your work - do you have a website or do Instagram? I have an Instagram: @jenniferelizabethvacher and you can find my book on Amazon here
Q) Is there anything you have to declare / do you have a favourite quote, thought or joke you'd care to share? "not / all matterings of mind / equal one violet" - from poem 64 of 95 Poems by E. E. Cummings
"Inside Job": An exhibition of art by Tate Staff will took place on Level 6 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG

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