Three grimacing faces with tongues thrust outward greet visitors to the STC Mid-Valley Campus Library Art Gallery. It is not an image of women that we are accustomed to seeing. It is unsettling and unique, and that is what intrigues and excites me about Jaeger’s artwork. Mythology is replete with examples of female threesomes. Medusa was one of three sisters known as The Gorgons. They had three more sisters (The Graeae) who guarded their home. They were fearsome and powerful women. In Jaegers’ powerful image, one woman becomes three, and by extension, every woman.
Jaeger juxtaposes realistic images with abstract linear elements. A line drawing of a house floats above the heads of the women. The drawings seem like an anomaly in the composition, but it is an intentional device calculated to disrupt the viewer’s expectations. The houses are “bound” with yellow lines. The concept of being bound informs all of the artwork in this exhibition. It relates metaphorically to the microcosm of intellectual, cultural, and social ideas that we are all bound by.
Both drawings and paintings are included in this exhibition. There is a qualitative difference between the two techniques aesthetically and conceptually. In the paintings, there is more of a disconnect between the realistic and abstract elements due to the hard edges and unmodulated color in the linear elements. In the drawing (below), the woman is nonconfrontational. She has hidden her own face, but she still sees through her fingers. Her bindings seem to be a more integral and cohesive element in the picture. Each artwork is a different aspect of the story that Jaeger is telling.
Do yourself a favor and go see this show. It is open through December 10. You’ll also get the added bonus of seeing Steven C. Ortiz’s artwork.
