Jennifer Merdjan
Jennifer Merdjan is known for repurposing her worn shoes and recycling everyday utilitarian objects she has collected as a consumer. She has been doing so for 30+ years and is committed to making it a lifelong art project! If Shoes Could Talk is a sustainable art project that comprises shoe-sculptures, larger scale playful assemblages, bilingual artist books, and prints on disparate materials. Her artwork uncovers the ground that binds human beings together as one. This ground is the passage of time. Her artwork also questions one’s relationship with objects and materiality. By taking discarded objects that are mass produced she reverses the industrial process and makes an imaginative piece of art that is one-of- a-kind. The whimsical objet d'art and playful assemblages come together to create a large body of work that takes on a new aesthetic purpose, history and thought-provoking message.
"Every shoe tells a story of where you have been and where you are going. By repurposing utilitarian objects that most people use, I act as a catalyst to bring out the passage of time hidden within them. This metamorphosis encourages the viewer to endow these overlooked objects with temporality and subjectivity, restoring the viewer’s own awareness of the dynamic changes of life."
Her shoe-sculpture was exhibited at a Pop-Up Exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She exhibits her artwork across different venues including galleries, art festivals, and fundraising events. Works from her If Shoes Could Talk Project have raised funds for the United Nations and the American Heart Association. Internationally she exhibited at ICANA (Instituto Cultural Argentino Norteamericano). Her whimsical shoe-sculptures were featured on Univision’s Control TV show.
Jennifer Merdjan is also an award-winning high school art educator. She currently teaches multilingual learners. Her academic work along with her students’ art using recycled materials received mention in the New York Times.
Her work aligns with four of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (#5 Gender Equality, #12 Responsible Consumption and Production, #13 Climate Action, #17 Partnerships for the goals).
