Jen Roper b. 1996
Jen Roper (B. 1996, Lancaster) is an artist living and working in London. She is an MA graduate in Fine Art from City and Guilds of London Art School, funded by the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Award. She was shortlisted for The Contemporary British Painting Prize in 2022. She has a current solo show, Bunk Beds and Peeing Dogs at Leeds Arts University until March 2024. Other recent exhibitions and residencies include Standpoint Gallery and Good Eye Projects.
Revisiting moments of embarrassment in everyday life, Jen’s paintings explore awkward encounters. The pictures take occupancy in reality, drawn from specific events and reconstructed from memory. They purposefully make a spectacle of the uncomfortable and exploit the shame endured. These moments of dilemma are likened to situational and cringe comedy, bringing together social awkwardness and the guilty pleasure found in watching them unfold. The comedic aspect of the paintings displays itself naturally; this often plays out with deadpan expressions and blunt renditions.
