Inside Out: JR Uretsky

Our Daily Red is pleased to continue our artist-in-residence series titled Inside Out. Every month, a new guest artist will have access to the platform to publish images and jot down thoughts about inspiration, obsession, creative failures and insights. Unlike an 'Open Studio' format which is predicated on potential sales, BR&S wants to provide the artist-in-residence with an outlet to place their practice in a more public realm, offering an expanded look at the creative process and placing emphasis on the time ideas and works take to mature. It is not expected that the artist produce anything finished or specific to BR&S in this time, only that they candidly share their explorations. Each artist will then invite an artist to follow them. The rules of the game specify that the guest must 1. work in a different medium, 2. live elsewhere, 3. write often and not think too much about what they post, 4. be someone whose inside the host artist is curious to see out.

Introducing: JR URETSKY

I'm very excited to announce our third artist-in-residence JR Uretsky. JR is an artist, educator and MFA graduate of the University of Connecticut who makes both sculpture and videos. Though I only recently began to explore her sculptural pieces, I first came across JR's videos when her piece Beard was featured in the ASPECT-EZ Strangely Funny exhibition at MassArt's Godine Gallery in 2010. I was initially drawn to them because of the way she illustrates her relationship to her own body by way of sculpture and costuming. The videos analyze the sometimes difficult acceptance of a queer sexual identity through awkward physicality, androgynous exaggerations and intentionally frustrating impediments. When I first saw her video above, Just Dance, I was exploring ways to employ popular cultural media in my own work and instantly fell in love with it. The blurred line between sincerity and humor that she uses allows her to subtly critique expectations to readily accept and mimic a constructed entity.
JR has been extremely busy as of late, doing performances and shows all over RI, CT and NY, so I'm happy that she's taking the time to sit down with all of us to expose her deepest, darkest secrets. So please, help me to welcome: JR Uretsky!