ABOUT THE ARTIST

ARTIST BIO:

Born in the Old Line state of Maryland, assemblage artist Jillian Kogan lives and works in the Golden State of California. Kogan studied contemporary art at the Baltimore Museum of Art, received a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University and completed her graduate studies at Harvard University and University of California, Los Angeles. She served two consecutive terms on the MOCA Contemporaries Board and as an advisor for Los Angeles Art Association.

Known for challenging the iconography of state and national flags and banners by assembling a mixture of mundane objects and socio-political messaging, Kogan turns society’s leftovers, castoff souvenirs, as well as once cherished mementos into Jasper Johns-inspired flags. She is best known for her work transforming the California Bear Flag into new and up-cycled symbols. Why Not Reinvent Yourself (2007), for instance, made of recycled vinyl automobile interior, various fabric swatches, and faux fur, evokes an old tourism ad slogan to drive journeyers west, while California Recovery (2008), crafted from 20,000 empty gelatin color capsules, reveals the crashing intersection of shattered hopes and exhausted dreams. By extrapolating these objects from their familiar contexts, Kogan renders them poetically symbolic. In her latest series “American Icononics”, Kogan juxtaposes American icons and flags including legendary singers Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, and icon, Jackie Kennedy, with a mixture of found objects and materiality that reflect upon addiction, public obsession, and tragedy.

Kogan’s civic art projects and commissions include the mural, “Do Time at LA’s Best”, dedicated to the city of Los Angeles by the Honorable Mayor Villaraigosa in 2008. And the California Arts Council 2008 - 2009 statewide “CALIFORNIA IMAGINATION” campaign, which was honored from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“I believe there is a flag created for every great moment in history and each of my clients is making a mark banner by banner.” - Jillian

ARTIST STATEMENT:

For me, the art of assemblage has infinite possibilities for combination and expression. Throughout my life, I have been a collector of old, damaged, forgotten and discarded mementos, and captivated with flags. My ‘flag artwork” combines all of these passions items together with messaging that challenges the iconography of state and national flags and banners. These compositions and formations give substance and value to each object’s secret history, and culled together, a new interpretation of that esteemed symbol.

Ultimately, my works assign new connotations to basic objects and traditional materials, capitalizing on the expansive nature of assemblage.

The found objects themselves serve different purposes—sometimes it’s the functionality, the shape, color, or texture that drives the composition. Using a combination of paints and encaustic, the items are glued and sewn together into a cohesive whole with an existing nylon ensign. It’s a method of assembling and tinkering until the moment when my reinvented flag is ready to be unfurled.