Jillian McDonald
Valley of the Deer
Gallery One + Two
Exhibition Info
Inspired by the genre conventions of cinema, Brooklyn-based artist Jillian McDonald has been exhibiting her videos internationally for over a decade. Having explored the cinematic tropes of horror movies and zombie films in particular, her recent work has shifted in tone and substance. Cast and filmed on location in Northern Scotland during the artist’s participation in the 2012 Glenfiddich International Artist’s Residency, Valley of the Deer was produced in response to the fertile natural landscape and Scotland’s resonant history. Juxtaposing unnerving images evoking both magic realism and pagan rituals augmented by a haunting soundtrack, this multi-channel video with its accompanying wall drawings, conjures an uncanny hallucinatory experience.
Photography: Scott Lee
Artist Biography
Jillian McDonald is a Canadian artist who has lived in Brooklyn, New York since 1996. She is an Associate Professor of Art at Pace University teaching performance art, video, and studio seminars. She has exhibited widely across the United States, Canada and internationally. McDonald has received grants and commissions from the New York Foundation for the Arts, Canada Council for the Arts, Turbulence, Verizon Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Experimental Television Center, and Pace University. In 2012, she received the Glenfiddich Canadian Art Prize and has attended residencies including the Headlands Center for the Arts in California, Lilith Performance Studio in Sweden, and Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta.