September 12–October 17, 2026
Opening reception: September 12, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
We are pleased to announce “Jennifer Celio: Species In Danger,” a modestly scaled yet highly focused selection of this Los Angeles-based artist’s new and recent work. Our presentation of Celio’s imaginatively conceived, intricately arranged, and exactingly realized imagery coincides with “Julie Shafer: The Parting of the Ways.” Both exhibitions open on Saturday, September 12, with an artists’ reception between 2-5pm and continue through October 17 at as-is.
Celio says of her artworks that they “manipulate perception to create fantastical iterations in which the artificial and the natural fuse to become newly impossible realities.” Often referencing the crisis-level event of environmental degradation that is our current condition, “the artworks,” she continues, “conjure seemingly mundane situations that have been artificially altered or supercharged.” In the varied array of artistic expressions that follow, Celio weaves together “disparate components and techniques while always alluding to humanity’s impact upon natural ecosystems.”
Species In Danger is a multi-year project begun in 2023, comprising graphite drawings centered on animals in Southern California listed as federally endangered. Each work pairs an endangered species with the human-made causes of its decline and a sociocultural element that Celio proposes more rightly deserves to go “extinct.” Her goal is to ultimately create a work for each of the 54 species on the list, tracing the intertwined fates of human beings and other animal species.
Celio draws on pop-cultural references, decorative borders, clip art, emojis, and the distinctive palm trees of Southern California to address the circumstances threatening these animals. Through these visual and symbolic elements, the works consider humanity’s disconnect from nature and the consequences of attempting to control and disrupt interconnected ecosystems. The intimate scale and meticulous detail of the drawings serve as a metaphor for the attentiveness and care Celio believes are necessary to repair our relationship with the natural world.
Jennifer Celio is a contemporary artist whose practice examines the complex and often contradictory relationship between humans and the natural world. Working primarily through drawing, Celio considers systems of cultivation, consumption, preservation, and environmental intervention, reflecting on the ways in which nature is shaped by human desire and control.
Born and raised in Los Angeles County, Celio received her B.F.A. in Drawing and Painting from California State University, Fullerton in 1996. She lives and works in Long Beach, California.
Celio’s work has been presented in solo exhibitions at Cristinerose Gallery and Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts, New York; Kleefeld Contemporary Museum, Los Angeles; as-is, Los Angeles; La Estacion Gallery, Chihuahua, Mexico; romo gallery, Atlanta; and Bandini Art, Culver City, among others. Her work was included in the 2015 Biennial at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., representing the Southern California region. Her work has also been exhibited internationally in Berlin, London, Mexico, Colombia, Greece, Istanbul, and Canada, as well as in exhibitions across the United States.
From 2017 to 2020, Celio was a member of Durden and Ray, the Los Angeles-based artist-run and curatorial collective.
