As early supporters of New York-based, hyper-realistic artist Cj Hendry, we’re excited to unveil her highly anticipated sixth solo exhibition ‘RORSCHACH’.
Back in issue #11 of est magazine we spoke to South African born, Brisbane raised artist Cj Hendry. The talented young creative stopped us in our tracks with her captivating monochrome drawings, working out of a petite backyard studio converted from an old tool shed by her dad. Six successful years on and now living in New York City, Cj Hendry has hand-delivered her work to Kanye West and recently stole the show in Melbourne with her VAMFF 2019 exhibit. Hands down, the self-professed “lover of products” is leading the Pop Art tradition globally.
This year also marks the opening of Cj Hendry’s ‘RORSCHACH’ exhibition; colour pencil drawings that juxtapose children’s squish paintings and psychological Rorschach (inkblot tests). That’s right, these are impeccably real drawings. As an extension of her ‘Complimentary Colors’ exhibition in collaboration with Christian Louboutin, RORSCHACH is a whole new wave of colour and abstract form exploration.
Cj Hendry was intrigued with Rorschach tests as a visual task, unlike language-based approaches and questionnaires used for personality assessment. She said her series is an amalgamation of these Rorschach images and children’s squish paintings, combining the naïve and the sinister. “There is a fascinating correlation of science and art, objectivity and subjectivity, ultimately this series is the science of artistic response as the key to personality,” Cj Hendry said.
Cj describes the exhibition as a deviation from her traditional art form hyperrealism because it leaves room for interpretation. With this in mind, the artist has transformed the exhibition space into a ‘bounce house’ that is supposed to reflect an old school asylum with padded walls and floors. The idea of a bounce house reflects the intertwining themes of both children’s playtime and the clinically insane, where Cj’s works are hung on padded upholstered walls. In this way, the exhibition may conjure childhood nostalgia or perhaps feelings of entrapment and claustrophobia.
While we regrettably can’t make it to the opening night, we know this is an exhibition not to be missed (if you can help it).
Cj Hendry’s RORSCHACH exhibition opens its doors to the public on Wednesday, April 10th until Sunday, April 21st at 202 Plymouth Street Dumbo, Brooklyn.
“There is little difference between an infant and an insane adult: both have undeveloped thoughts and blissful ignorance, both live in a playful space where they have not made sense of the world. There is so much freedom in ‘seeing what you want to see’.“
– Cj Hendry
“These squish paintings are unpredictable and unadulterated. Of course there is mechanical draftsmanship in the execution of my drawings but when you step back and look at the final result there is no clear answer, people will see something different every time.”
– CJ Hendry
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