An installation of 50 flying pennants  printed with poems and messages transcribed from people who have been directly impacted by incarceration. A man in a blue shirt stands in front of the pennants and speaks while raising his right arm

jenny polak, Pennants & Poets, Dumbo (2021). 50 pennants, screen-print on cotton with stitching; Coroplast and grommets, attached to steel chains hung from a frame and anchored above and below; spoken word poets. (Nestor “Panama” Eversley performing). Photo by Dread Scott.

I’m from England, and my art draws on studies in architecture and design. My artworks are often created through collaborations with directly impacted communities. At BRIClab I am developing elements of these and solo projects. They include sewn and stuffed organza and vinyl pieces for wearable and upholstered works, and ceramic images made from numerous small sections.
I use ink, building materials, upcycled fabrics and ceramics to connect buoyant struggles for justice to domestic dreams. I reimagine demands for basic rights such as housing and freedom to migrate, in imagery co-opted from interior decoration, official signs and supposedly impassable barriers. My current projects seek to bring the drawn and painted visions of people who have survived prison, into the public realm, to open unexpected portals for solidarity.

About BRIClab