Janice Kerbel

Janice Kerbel‘s work Score (Blast) consists of nine unframed, loosely applied screen prints,  over which black letters of varying sizes spread unevenly across the blank sheets of paper. From left to right, the letters become larger and are more closely set, creating a palpable sense of dynamism and explosive energy. The title mirrors the visual experience: Score refers to a musical composition, while Blast alludes to an explosive force. Although individual words can be identified, they don’t combine into a coherent narrative. Instead, the spaces between the letters invite us to immerse ourselves in the composition. Once we have entered this realm, we can move between the letters. Single words or phrases seem to appear and dissolve, forming new, fleeting combinations. Score (Blast) belongs to the series Score, in which Janice Kerbel relates to her own musical composition DOUG, featuring nine poetic and fantastical vocal situations. In this series, Kerbel translates each song – its notes, sequences and words – into graphic forms. In doing so, she embraces the challenge of working with something situational and difficult to control. In times where virtually everything revolves around communication and information exchange, Kerbel initially strips away traditional storytelling elements, only to then reintroduce them, albeit in a highly unconventional form.