FeatureInc. Hosts Jesse Bransford for 'The Jungle (for Norma)' Exhibition, 5/9

FeatureInc. will hose Jesse Bradford for a series of discussions on his exhibition, "The Jungle (for Norma)," currently showing at the gallery. "The Jungle (for Norma)" is Jesse Bransford's sixth solo exhibition with Feature Inc.

Jesse Bransford's "The Jungle (for Norma)" investigates the legendary psychotropic plant ayahuasca and his experience with that plant as guided by Norma, an Amazonian curandero (healer, shaman). He examines the indigenous culture and the plant(s) and their properties both scientifically and visually. As well his personal experiences and visions from the trip, along with their following repercussions are chronicled in this body of work.

From Star Trek to the Kabbalah, since the early 90s Jesse Bransford has been gleaning archaic, peripheral, and esoteric cultures for their icons, symbols, signs, and remnants of their deep. Generally images and info are ganged into his personal mythology and conflated and floated without regard to a chronology within a star map. His initial rather graphic visual interests later gave way to a more philosophical research and most recently to a bit more expressiveness. One search unfolds another. All things seem connected. We are floating in space.

Bransford was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1972, attended New School for Social Research (BA, History of the Sciences; BFA painting) and received a MFA from Columbia University. He lives in Brooklyn.

The discussion, "A Jungle of Signs" will take place May 9th. The schedule is as follows"

4:30pm: Jesse Bransford and Karsten Krejcarek
5:30pm: A Lecture by Michael Taussig
6:30pm: Reception

Professor Michael Taussig (Dept. of Anthropology, Columbia University) is one of the most innovative, distinguished and socially engaged voices in cultural anthropology. An interdisciplinary thinker and engaging writer, Taussig's work combines aspects of ethnography, story-telling, and social theory. An area of long standing interest, Taussig will be discussing aspects of Latin American Ayahuasca-based Shamanism and its historical interface with Western magic.

In 2007, visual artists Jesse Bransford and Karsten Krejcarek spent time in the city of Iquitos, Peru and the surrounding jungle. Since returning, both have spent much time trying to articulate what exactly happened there. In a public conversation they hope to further elaborate on the experiences in in relation to their art and art making in general. Topics will include globalization, adventure narratives, monkeys and telepathy.

Feature opened on April Fool's Day 1984, in a second floor space at 340 West Huron St., Chicago.
In August 1988, the gallery moved to NYC and opened in October at 484 Broome St. Feature relocated to 76 Greene St. in September 1993, and became Feature Inc. in January 1994. The move to 530 W. 25 St. occurred in October 1999. At all the aforementioned locations, Feature contained two or more exhibition spaces, so that several exhibitions could be presented simultaneously.

Feature Inc reincarnated in September 2008 at 276 Bowery, delighted to be back downtown. While this location has only one exhibition room, it lends itself to being divided. A billboard project will be hosted on the facade as well.

For more information, visit www.featureinc.com.