In Four Houses, Jenn Sova resurrects three lost family homes in the space of Rubus Discolor Project. Through installtion, the artist recalls her Grandmother’s home in Czechoslovakia, a country that no longer exists, her Mother’s childhood home lost in a fire, and her own childhood home which, through an act of bureaucratic renaming, cannot be found on any map.
Using her memories as reference, Sova constructs sculptural works to rebuild pieces of her past while collaborating directly with the walls, floors, and corners of the house. Employing materials fo
und on the property and beyond to connect with its history, each room becomes a link to a different generation. In the living room, a small house made of bricks and cinder blocks recalls the simplified elements of a child’s drawing. A crowd of plaster glove-shaped hands occupies the kitchen, inhibiting movement while reaching for something, though for what remains unclear. A snapshot on the wall pulled from a family photo album brings to light a common question: is this memory or its proxy?
*Photography by Nina Johnson