Biography

Jessica Teckemeyer creates mixed-media animal sculptures to explore the multiplicity in human nature. Her highly finished artworks feature dramatic, glossy human eyes to clue viewers to the introspective nature of her ideation. Some sculptures utilize hidden technology to create unexpected encounters. Her research interests include psychology, mythology, and contemporary monster theory, which result in concepts that reveal the collective unconscious. She is fascinated by the complexities of human experience. According to Curator Laura Burkhalter of the Des Moines Art Center in Iowa, “Touching on broad themes of primal emotion and ancient mythology to specific current issues such as gun violence, Teckemeyer’s art engages and unsettles on multiple levels.”

In addition to maintaining an active studio practice, Teckemeyer is the Sculpture Professor at Oklahoma State University. Prior to joining the faculty at OSU, she taught all levels of sculpture and ceramics at Clarke University in Iowa. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in May 2010. Teckemeyer’s sculptures have been featured in eleven solo exhibitions and shown in more than fifty-five group exhibits. Her most recent solo exhibitions include “Transfigurations” at MidCoast Gallery, Davenport, IA; “Recent Work” at Lock Haven Gallery, Lock Haven, PA; “Sinners and Saints” at Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH; “Whispers” at Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA; and “Iowa Artist 2015: Jessica Teckemeyer” at the Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA. Viewers in many cities have experienced the work, including Monaco, France; Montevideo, Uruguay; New York, NY; South Orange, NJ; Santa Ana, CA; Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Tallahassee, FL; Cincinnati, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Denton, TX; Minneapolis, MN; Milwaukee, WI; and Des Moines, IA.  She has received numerous accolades including “Best in 3D” from the “Art of the Heartland” exhibit at the Indianapolis Art Center, an award at the “Select” exhibition at the Sioux City Art Center in Iowa, “Best in Show” for the “Social & Politically Engaged Art” at the Reece Museum in Tennessee, and “Second Prize” at the “Tallahassee International” hosted at the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts. Additionally, Teckemeyer has been awarded $10,000 from Oklahoma State University to expand her “Impact” series. Her works are in many private collections and the Dubuque Museum of Art.

Teckemeyer fabricated sculptures for internationally known artist Siah Armajani from 2009 until 2013. Prior to graduate school, Teckemeyer worked in the sculpting, mold making, and painting departments at “Tivoli Too,” a 3D design and production studio located near Minneapolis, MN­­­­. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2004.

Artist Statement

I create mixed-media animal sculptures to explore the multiplicity of human behavior. Media stories and observing social interactions fuel my creative impulses. The highly finished artworks feature dramatic, glossy human eyes to clue viewers into my ideation’s introspective nature. My research explores psychology, literature, film, media, and monster theory, revealing insights into how we develop socially.

I am interested in the complexity of human behavior driven by instinctual reactions and culturally learned responses. As social creatures, we combat reason versus instinct. Through translating human experience into the form of an animal, we look at ourselves from another viewpoint – focused on our untamed, dangerous selves.

The resulting artworks reveal archetypes encapsulating impulses and desires through unexpected juxtapositions. In “Fawn or Foe II,” a deer wears a wolf pelt as it takes on shapeshifting qualities to trick, deceive, and even hunt. The natural behavior of the animal depicted holds a direct relationship to the conceptual framework. Deer are timid creatures with plant-based diets, while wolves rely solely on animal flesh for survival. The metamorphosis from prey to a predator is a metaphor for how we navigate different facets of our lives to overcome something or escape. Survival is a basic human instinct finely tuned by observation, causing our behavior to be in constant flux. The sculpture personifies the ability to overcome challenges.

“Human Shadow” is a newborn deer with the shadow of a wolf; the head is visually distorted as if a slow-motion blur has permanently morphed the physicality. Ernest Hemingway stated, “All things truly wicked start from innocence.” The statement implicates the murky depths of our unconscious. Each person naturally develops a “shadow” beginning in childhood composed of repressed personality traits as culture teaches us to split and polarize dark and light. According to Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, great potential waits to be retrieved in the shadow. “Devour” shares a narrative with “Human Shadow,” as I depict the same individual at different stages of life. In “Devour,” the wolf has become physical and no longer merely a shadow. The conjoined deer sleeps while the starved wolf chews on its leg. As viewers approach the wolf, it emits growling sounds. The irregular body is a psychological portrait that disturbs the cultural ‘norm.’ By focusing on allusions to fierceness, monstrosity, and mutation, the physicality alludes to a fascinating paradox of attraction and repulsion.

“Chloris” and “Chaos II” continue my investigation of making the unreal tangible through sculptural forms. The sculptures question what we know to be “true” as the combination violates the rules of nature. These ideas evolved through literary references that utilize animals as metaphors to express human qualities and symbolize human relationships. In Greek mythology, Chloris was the goddess of flowers responsible for spring and new growth. As she spoke, flowers sprung from her lips. My contemporary version takes form as mountain lion heads with human-like eyes and cascading faux orchids.

My sculptures embody a symbolic language in which I explore themes, including social development, inner confrontation, vulnerability, violence, and escapism. I am interested in human behavior, from our celebratory moments to disastrous events. In observing the extremes, both the dark and light of humanity are present. In understanding our polarities, we establish a new sense of awareness.