Artist statement

As a disabled queer woman, I'm drawn to things that are cast off or othered, to beauty that's ignored or needs unearthing. My work invites people to push past their discomfort and look closer. 

It is terrifying and vulnerable being a person who is seen as valueless under the current regime, and it's even harder now not to internalize those dehumanizing feelings. One way oppressors win is by convincing us to see ourselves the way they see us. Our ability to see our own humanity - and the humanity of others - is resistance. 

"(de)composed" (2020-2023) explores how often when something has "gone bad" it's produced something new, but It can be hard to appreciate new growth in the shadow of our disappointment. I like spending hours meticulously crafting something usually thought of as ruined.

I spent 2024 expanding on the final (de)composed work: a self portrait of my experience of disability in the form of a sprouted potato. This became “I Cannot Be a Meal, But I Can Be a Garden.”

Growing up, I had clear ideas about how success was measured. Realizing that my health meant I would never meet those standards made me feel useless. It took a long time to accept that I still have value, from my love to the art I put into the world.

If you want to make hash browns, a sprouted potato is ruined. You have to completely shift your outlook to what it can be now - a houseplant, a source of more potatoes - for it to again have value.

That's the process I've gone through with my life as a disabled person. Sometimes I still mourn the hash brown I thought I'd be, but I've come a long way to seeing the value in my houseplant self. I cannot be a meal, but I can be a garden.

Description of Exhibition

As “(de)composed” led into the creation of ICBaMBICBaG, visitors to this exhibit will take the same path through the art.

“(de)composed” explores the life and beauty in things often regarded as ruined. This portion of the exhibit (intended for the front portion of the gallery or to surround a divided central space) is composed entirely of sculpture. It includes 14 pieces displayed on pedestals, 1 self-supporting piece, and 10 installation works integrated into the gallery space. Some of the works utilize the interplay of dark and light -- including fluorescence, luminescence, and retroreflectiveness-- and visitors will be given access to white light and UV flashlights to allow them to explore the details revealed under different lighting conditions.

“I Cannot Be a Meal, But I Can Be a Garden” (intended for the back portion of the gallery, or a semi-walled central space) is an installation that grew from the final work in (de)composed. It centers on the form of an 8-foot-long dining table, which evolves from traditional place settings to soil, roots, flora and fauna. At one end sits a sprouted potato on a clean white porcelain plate surrounded by delicate crocheted lace: in this context, it is spoiled and useless. As the place settings progress, they begin to disintegrate: the tablecloth frays and knots into roots; the surface of the table roughens until it becomes soil; the plates break down until they become stones. A potato plant grows through the far end, with underground tubers below and the flowering leafy plant above. There are insects, isopods, mammals, amphibians, fungus - a whole ecosystem of life. 

The underside of the table offers more glimpses into the workings of this patch of garden, with populated underground anthill chambers, earthworms, mycelium, and more. A mirror will be used to make viewing this portion accessible (with the possible addition of hand mirrors available for closer individual exploration). 

The installation includes an aural component: two overlapping zones of ambient sound transition from the subtle clink of silverware on plates and glasses raised and lowered to bird calls, the buzz of insects, and a breeze rustling leaves. (An audio mock-up can be found here: https://www.jgklausner.com/i-cannot-be-a-meal-but-i-can-be-a-garden-audio)

Equipment/Materials Requirements

For the (de)composed portion

10 white pedestals

4 black pedestals

Spotlights

Walls that can be painted

A ceiling suspension system or a ceiling that can have eye bolts installed (all suspended pieces weigh under 1lb)

Small UV flashlights

Small white light flashlights

For the “I Cannot Be a Meal, But I Can Be a Garden” portion

Temporary walls

4 speakers

Spotlights

Non-track-based spotlights for illuminating underside of piece

A wall that can have a ½” hole drilled into it

Ability to suspend a small piece from the ceiling (piece weighs under 5oz)

30x40” mirror

Artist Bio

Judith Klausner is a Somerville, MA artist with a love for small, intricate, and overlooked things. She received her degree in Studio Art from Wesleyan University in 2007 after constructing her thesis primarily out of insects, and has since continued to search the details of her surroundings for inspiration. Her experience of invisible disability and chronic pain play an integral role in how she views the world and creates art. Her work has been featured in Harper's magazine, Reader's Digest, the Huffington Post and NPR, and exhibited in venues internationally including the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Southern Vermont Art Center, Susquehanna Art Museum, Museum of Natural History, RI, Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, and the Boston Children's Museum. Judith enjoys playing with her food, both recreationally and professionally.

Potential Public Programs

Sprouted Potato Block Printing

Another way sprouted potatoes can have a new life! Using potatoes that would otherwise be thrown away, participants will create their own block printing stamps (can be done on paper, or on fabric to create functional art).

Equipment/materials requirements for workshop:

Tables

Chairs

1 sharp kitchen knife

Cutting board

Craft knives and/or carving tools

Acrylic paint or fabric paint

Sponge brushes or small sponges

Heavyweight paper or white cotton dishcloths

Moth Mending Workshop

To help audiences connect further with the exhibit, I will lead a workshop teaching participants how to repair moth holes in sweaters. Much like the Japanese art of kintsugi mends pottery by highlighting the cracks, the approach taken to mending acknowledges and celebrates the journey of the sweater and its role in our complex relationship with the world around us. This will take the form of mending the holes with needle-felted moth patches. (Workshop is appropriate for ages 10 and up. Children should have the supervision of a guardian.)

Equipment/materials requirements for workshop:

Tables

Chairs

Scissors

Felting needles

Felting blocks

Wool roving

Wool felt

Fabric markers

Moth templates

Moth reference photos

Artist/Curator Q&A

I enjoy speaking about my work and process, and my favored format for that is a Q&A. I find this setup most conducive to developing an open dialogue, and I feel it encourages audience participation.