Jessica Stockholder

In this sculpture/installation, Jessica Stockholder combines diverse objects — construction materials, clothes, furniture, and painted surfaces — into one work composed of two separate but related parts. A twenty foot long wall bisects the length of the gallery and a column reaches from floor to ceiling. This piece and its component materials exist within fluctuating boundaries, both physical and intellectual. In her own words:

“I feel that each of us is a unique entity with our own clear boundaries, but the instant I try to get a good look at those boundaries they are impossible to pinpoint or ascertain. Nevertheless, the feeling that I am a discrete entity never goes away and I experienced the boundaries between myself and everyone and everything else as clear.” (Jessica Stockholder)

The work, called *It’s Not Over ‘til The Fat Lady Sings*, cannot be seen as a unified work until one stands at the far corner of the gallery. From here it can be seen and felt as a complete whole, separate from the viewer. However, this experience is informed by the memory of having moved through the piece — the memory of how the piece was revealed over time.

Essay: “Jessica Stockholder: It’s Not Over ‘til The Fat Lady Sings,” Mark Holmes

This is a close-up view of one of Jessica Stockholder’s sculptures installed in a gallery. A red-painted drawer sits on the floor. The top half of the furniture is covered by old newspapers. 

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In a gallery space, two green painted walls lead to a space where a pentagonal-shaped wooden table sits. A white closet is placed on top of the table. The closet is half-covered by old newspapers.

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In a gallery space, several large-sized sculptures are installed in a gallery space. Large dyed flat sheets of paper, newspapers, fabrics, and metal frames are attached to the walls. 

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It’s Not Over ‘til The Fat Lady Sings

This catalogue was published in 1987 by the Contemporary Art Gallery on the occasion of the exhibition *It’s Not Over ‘Til The Fat Lady Sings* by Jessica Stockholder at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver from September 1 – 26, 1987. The publication contains an essay by Mark Holmes.

Jessica Stockholder

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