Mercedes Jelinek

“These pieces are my way of organizing chaos and finding tranquility even in the most uncomfortable times.”

Just as a swimmer becomes submerged, Mercedes Jelinek views travel as an act of cultural immersion that dissolves boundaries and fosters connection. “My De Translation series began as a way to express feelings about the acculturation process that occurs while in a foreign land,” says the multifaceted artist and photographer. “A sense of overwhelming isolation as one struggles to learn a different language is often compounded by frustration…. But as time passes and one adapts to each new situation, a sense of calm and tranquility takes over; a daunting task becomes effortless, a stranger becomes a companion, and an unfamiliar place feels like home.”

New York may be home for Jelinek, but she has close ties to Western North Carolina. Following a three-year residency at The Penland School of Craft, she did stints there as an instructor and contributing artist; she now serves on Penland’s board of trustees. The prolific artist has also lectured at John C. Campbell Folk School, Asheville Art Museum, and Appalachian State University as well as exhibited at Mirrorball Gallery in Tryon. In 2019, she also published a book about Spruce Pine entitled Lost. And since her mother lives in Little Switzerland, Jelinek visits frequently.

This summer, the artist will be teaching photography in Italy on behalf of East Carolina University before returning for the Penland Benefit Auction in August. The fundraiser coincides with the school’s summer exhibition, “Now Is the Time to Understand More,” which includes Blue #1 and others from the series. “Each portrait is built from individual inkjet prints on recycled book pages, meticulously gridded together to form the final piece. The pages are from different texts written in Italian or about Italian culture,” says Jelinek, whose works and publications have been exhibited internationally and are included in collections at The Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum, among others. www.mercedesjelinek.com