Interview
Jennifer Troice
Jennifer Troice is a multi-talented Mexican sculptor who began her artistic career in music. After evolving and growing in her talents, she is now well known for her bronze sculptures, which have been displayed both in private and public spaces in Mexico City.
Jennifer first began to experiment with sculpture during her years at the American School Foundation in Mexico, which was a crucial experience for her artistic development. She continued her training at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston (2005), where she studied drawing from the human figure, printmaking, welding, and casting. She finished her first large-scale work, the piece “Imagina” (“Imagine”, 2008) before her 22nd birthday: the sculpture is displayed at the lobby of the Oncology ward of the ABC Hospital.
But Jennifer’s sculptures have meant much more to her than just an artistic outlet. They inadvertently led to an important healing process after a devastating occurrence in her life. This raw and honest expression can be easily seen in her work (although her works are well refined upon completion), allowing the viewer to connect to a range of subjects, from injustice to joy to self-care - an important part of her creations. Her evocative sense of form is powerful in creating these connections.
Jennifer Troice's work is known for its modern style, which diverges from abstraction. The forms she achieves are always figurative, yet they fall into the category of what the artist likes to call “geometric minimalism”. The influence of Cubism is perceivable in the accented angles and the contrast with the organic shapes that lie beneath the objects, animals, and human figures that inspire her work.
In addition to her references to Constantin Brancusi and cubist sculptors, her models are influenced by the curves in Ruth Bloch’s human figures and the faceted outlines of Leon Bronstein’s works.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I'm a bronze sculptor. I've been sculpting for 17 years now. It all started after going through a very traumatizing event (which I've decided to keep private in order to protect my children from the pain). I had never heard of art therapy as an actual practice but unconsciously I used it to heal. All of a sudden I had an urge to express myself and put everything out into the world. This was truly transformative and healing.”
What inspires you most?
“It really depends on what is going on in my life at the moment. When I started it was all related to my trauma, my next collection was a mix and match of several materials and themes as if I were discovering who I was and what my preferences were. After that, I decided to make a collection about marine life (I was very into scuba diving at the time). Then I started a family and began making my silhouette collection: family-related themes. Now, I continue with that, but am also a strong advocate for wildlife and am constantly looking for ways to support different causes. I'm currently working on an endangered species collection.”
Despite the inherent difficulty that implies working with bronze—challenging as it is to achieve the same finish as the original models— Troice’s sculptures are carefully crafted. Her polished surfaces, as well as the use of polychrome patinas, convey the artist’s ideas and reveal a personal expressive style that emphasizes the contrast between geometric and organic shapes, a contradiction that is at the core of her aesthetic search.
How would you describe your work?
“I have two lines. One is more organic and curvy. The helping hands, and silhouettes. The other is a style I like to call geometric minimalism. It has a cubist look to it but it never distorts the image, you always know what it is you are looking at. My surfaces tend to be very smooth. I've recently started adding color to my sculptures and am finding a different growth in my work!”
Which artists influence you most?
“I really like Brancusi, I could say he was one of the artists that inspired me into sculpting over another medium. I also really like Leon Bronstein and Ruth Bloch.”
What is your creative process like?
“I begin by modeling with oil-based clay. Once the model is done, I make a silicone mold. I use this mold to start the casting process using the lost wax technique. This consists of making a hollow model of the piece in wax, retouching the wax, making a ceramic shell (second mold), putting that in an oven (this is when the wax melts and disappears), and finally, the bronze is poured into the shell. After the bronze solidifies, that mold is broken and a whole new process begins to give the bronze sculpture its final look.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“As an artist, my goal is always to connect with my spectators, to make them feel something just by being in the presence of a piece I have created. When someone feels compelled to buy a piece of art to look at in their private spaces, I feel flattered because it means we have a connection on a personal note somehow. I am a true believer in energy and the power of connection and think that the world needs people to come together to make a change, whether it's on a deeper level with heavy subjects like politics, social justice, or violence... or if it's just out of pleasure, joy, and self- care. On a personal note, just because of how I got involved in art, self-care and compassion are a priority in healing oneself and the world.”
Website: www.jennifertroice.com
Instagram: @jennifertroice.us
