Jennifer May Reiland is a Brooklyn-based Houstonian.  This will be Jennifer's first solo show in the United States.  The show features watercolor paintings and drawings that reflect the overlap of fantasy and reality in the digital age.

Reiland depicts the collapsing space between reality and images in a post-9/11, post-internet world. Her work is an examination of the unreal distance and false closeness technology creates: between couples; between countries; between newsmakers and consumers.

The title of the show, Veronicas, refers to Saint Veronica, the Catholic saint who wiped the face of Christ as he ascended Calvary to be crucified. The image of his face was said to miraculously appear on her veil. The name "Veronica" was later attributed to the woman, as well as to the veil, a derivation of the Latin phrase "vera icon" or "true image." Reiland's show contains several portraits of Saint Veronica as well as works that reference the idea of truth and images.

"The controlled chaos and wild juxtapositions in my work may come from an early exposure to Houston's zoning laws," Reiland said. "I am so happy to be returning to Houston to present my work, as my hometown has always remained an important influence both personally and as an artist-so much of my work is about what creates identity, and Houston certainly has its own strong identity and had a huge influence on my identity."

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Reiland was born in Houston in 1989. She graduated from HSPVA in 2007 and continued her artistic education at Cooper Union in New York City and Universidad de Barcelona. Post-graduation, she received the Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship, awarded annually to four young artists and musicians who wish to spend an academic year working on a project in Paris. While in Paris, her work was selected by the Franco-American Foundation for the Arts and Sciences for a solo exhibition at the Fondation des Etats-Unis. She also spent time in Spain where she began making work about connections between Spanish and American history. Upon returning to New York in 2014, Reiland was accepted as a resident at the Sharpe Walentas Space Program, and given a free studio in Brooklyn to work in from September 2014 through August 2015.