Film: Jefferson Pinder

Jefferson Pinder sees his art as a form of sampling, mixing, and remixing his own experience and that of others. Drawing on hip hop culture and his interest in African American identity, Pinder is emerging as a video and film artist of great talent. The videos exhibited in “RECOGNIZE!” are Car Wash Meditations, with its references to cleansing living and mechanical bodies; Mule, in which Pinder literally drags the weight of his own struggles; and Invisible Man, a reference to the protagonist in Ralph Ellison’s great novel. Each features Pinder dressed in a suit (his “work clothes”) and each may be read as a self-portrait. And yet in each work, Pinder also stands aside, allowing the self to project a larger meaning: “I tap into the well of the public subconscious, seeking to find poetry in the everyday—the mundane.”  

   

Arist's Statement: Jefferson Pinder

Few things are more persuasive than the moving image. As a product of the old MTV generation, I witnessed, firsthand, a video revolution that changed the way people looked at culture. In an age where activism happens less on the street and more in the mind, I seek to create work that converses with the audience in a format that is reflective of the media with which they are familiar—video and film. My work explores the familiar. In short, moving pieces, I tap into the well of the public subconscious, seeking to find poetry in the everyday—the mundane. My quiet activism dwells in a place that is free for the taking (if you are looking for it).

I explore interests that not only relate to identity but also tie into a larger fiber of the human condition. My music videos exalt the soundtracks of life, as all of my work is a metaphor for my cultural journey. These thinly layered video pieces speak less of technology and more of the dynamic representation of a human experience. Inspired
by past generations of artists, my work seeks to bridge a connection between what has come before and what lies ahead. I offer little direction. (That is in keeping with my generation.) Rather, I find interest in creating work that documents dynamic details of this ever-changing cultural landscape.

 

             
  Still image from the film Mule   Still image from the film Invisible Man   Still image from the film Car Wash Meditations  
  Mule
Jefferson Pinder, 2006
8 mm film transferred to digital video
Run time: 2:32
  Invisible Man
Jefferson Pinder, 2004
Digital video
Run time: 5:14
  Car Wash Meditations
Jefferson Pinder, 2005
Digital video
Run time: 4:40
 
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