About the Exhibition
In Empty When Full, Jeff Chelf invites viewers into a space where absence speaks louder than presence. Drawing inspiration from writer J.B. Jackson’s idea that “the old order must die for there to be a born-again landscape,” Chelf explores the balance of decay and renewal, examining the role of memory, absence, and the gaps that emerge in time. Through performance, installation, sculpture and ceramics, their work reflects their efforts to fill what is missing.
The installation reflects the contemporary thinker as Chelf reconfigures tools and artifacts, positioning them within a fictional archive. Through documented performances—like sawing through lake ice or moving water against gravity—they highlight the futility of controlling or understanding the unknowable. Their work invites a dialogue between the self and the material, a personal belief that challenges conventional narratives by dismantling and reassembling them.
Like a magical machine, objects associated with productivity enlisted as artifacts of another era. Items like a slide projector and office desk, challenge perceptions of time, work, and leisure. The office desk—crafted from metal and wood—was salvaged from a nearby university’s dumpster, once representing productivity but now transformed into a plinth of a past work era. Empty When Full suggests the possibility of collaborative futures and reimagined systems of work and value.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
The work of the artist is to create that which is missing; as if our vocation is to supply a truth to a contemporary narrative – an aesthetic experience confirming or denying societies creation myths.
In The Necessity for Ruins, JB Jackson discusses the interval of neglect, the period that exists somewhere between the present and memory. Jackson argues ruins provide an incentive for restoration, that “the old order must die for there to be a born-again landscape.” I could elaborate on the implications this has for our society but rather will turn inward.
I court failure conceptually; futility interests me more than utility. To assume utility is to assume understanding – the intersection of 8 billion individuals is so complex I no longer believe understanding is possible. To assume an action has utility, or benefit, is itself impossible. My practice reflects my presumed ignorance of both society and the self. I agree with Sol Lewitt that artists are mystics, but in my version, artists are enlightened fools endlessly seeking a truth that is forever beyond the horizon. Or to turn back to Jackson, we dredge the material that has faded from our present to build a future aligned with our values.
In 2019 I discovered I suffer from significant hearing loss to an extent I need hearing aids to function in daily life. My practice since this time has been an effort to replace that which is missing. To experience life with my other senses to supplant my lack of hearing – or provide a new truth that acknowledges my condition. This variously manifests at times as performance art, installation and most recently explorations within ceramics. With these tools I explore our relationship to the environment, labor and the evolution of my own body.
Jeff Chelf holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. An interdisciplinary artist based in Durham, North Carolina, Chelf’s work spans performance, installation, carpentry and ceramics, exploring themes of perception, futility, and the search for meaning within the absurd. Their practice often investigates the intersections of presence and absence, frequently drawing from their experiences with hearing loss and sensory adaptation.
Elevate at 21c presents temporary exhibitions of works by artists living and working in communities surrounding each 21c Museum Hotel. Through Elevate, hotel guests and visitors gain unique access to notable regional artists, showcasing their work within the context of 21c’s contemporary art spaces. The initiative provides a conceptual platform for regional talent, supporting artists and engaging audiences in conversations around local culture and creativity.
