Jenni Hensler

Visual art In 2017, Hensler presented her first art exhibition, a multi-sensory live installation at New York's James Fuentes Gallery, titled Persona Somnia I (Latin for "Dream Persona"). The exhibition featured Spanish performance artist María Forqué suspended from the ceiling by intricately knotted shibari ropes, accompanied by an ambient soundscape. Hensler described it as "a visual, sonic and tactile exploration of a kaleidoscopic, fragmented self as it merges into a whole,"

Hensler is also a creator of art films, including Garden of Ants, a work exploring themes of innocence and abuse, with an original music score by Chelsea Wolfe and Alex Zhang Hungtai of Dirty Beaches. Her photographic work was also featured in the second issue of We Understand the Future magazine from Basel, Switzerland, in September 2024.

Directing

Hensler has directed several music videos, including "If I Could Breathe Underwater" by Marissa Nadler, "The Fall" by Zola Jesus, Moondog's "High on a Rocky Ledge" (performed by Kronos Quartet and Ghost Train Orchestra), "Lights Out" by Liz Lamere, Liz Lamere ("Sin"), and November Girl ("Beam Me Up"). She has also served as creative director for a photo shoot for Red Bull Music Academy.

Costume design and styling

Hensler's costume and styling work can be seen in numerous music videos by a variety of artists, such as in the Chelsea Wolfe videos for the songs "Carrion Flowers," "16 Psyche," "Flatlands," "Spun," and "Be All Things," and she has created stage costumes for Wolfe's concert tours and festival appearances. Hensler costume designed and styled the Zola Jesus videos for "Dangerous Days," "Seekir," "Hunger," "Nail," and "Exhumed," and the Marissa Nadler videos for "Blue Vapor" In addition to those, Hensler styled the electronic musician Black Marble's video for the song "Cruel Summer," Australian electronic act HTRK's video for the song "Chinatown Style," indie pop band Lower Dens' video for the song "Real Thing," and the video for the collaboration between Dutch composer Jozef van Wissem and American filmmaker-composer Jim Jarmusch for their minimalist classical music piece "Etimasia." She appeared in the Chelsea Wolfe video for "Spun,"

Hensler has been a crew member on a number of independent narrative films as well, including as the costume designer on the short film The Puppet Man, which features horror-film director John Carpenter, and which was screened at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

Influences and vision

The vision behind Hensler's art, films, and installations draws on and incorporates elements of diverse eras, visual traditions, and movements, such as magic realism and dark surrealism, esoteric and occult symbology, Japanese minimalism, ancient Egypt, and classical mythology, as various Greco-Roman motifs, shapes, and silhouettes appear throughout her work. She has created wearable sculptures using LED lights and has hand-painted directly onto fabric as well. She has been said to create esoteric, "borderline-spiritual looks [that] seem to draw inspiration from the occult, fetish wear, and fantasy."