SOFACQ Gallery

Rankin Jessica

1967 - Cameroen

Jessica Rankin (born 1971, Sydney) is an Australian artist who lives and works in New York. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions in the US, Europe and Australia. Recent solo exhibitions include White Cube, London (2007),PS1 Contemporary Arts Center, New York (2006) and Franklin Artworks, Minneapolis (2005).

Rankin is best known for her organdy 'embroidered paintings' as well as her drawings, watercolors, and prints, sometimes linked to her larger scale works. Rankin's father is also a successful artist David Rankin. Her mother was poet and playwright Jennifer Rankin and her step-mother is author and poet Lily Brett. Rankin shares her studio with her partner, also a celebrated artist, Julie Mehretu. Rankin is represented by Christian Haye of The Project gallery in the USA and in 2007 began to exhibit with Jay Jopling at the White Cube art gallery in the UK.   Incorporating methods traditionally identified with feminine pursuits – embroidery and needlework – Rankin's work and her organdy 'embroidered paintings' feature a series of 'mental maps' with codes, signs, and symbols that explore ideas of memory, intuition, and interpretation.