Jesse Morgan Barnett

Title: First Steps of a Sheep Head

Work Description: It’s been nearly three months since I’ve been able to visit King Spa in Dallas, Texas. Korean Jimjilbangs are one of my favorite environments to escape to. I enjoy watching people and hearing familiar languages. The extreme temperature variations are a sensory euphoria. The endurance required to fully appreciate the fire sudatorium is rare. I appreciate the sitter who will scold the casual entrant for keeping the door open too long. I usually wrap the orange towel around my head like a head band. I’ve taken a few as souvenirs over the years.  The next time I visit King Spa, I’ve decided that I’ll abandon the traditional head band style and advance to the sheep head.

Bio: Jesse Morgan Barnett (born 1978, Taegu, South Korea) is an artist, curator and educator working out of Fort Worth, Texas. He received an MFA from the University of Texas at Arlington and is currently operating Borgen Wolfe, co-curating the return of the Dallas Biennial and assistant curator of education at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Barnett’s consideration of images, objects and events is derived from aging and agnostic proposition and drift. 

Artist’s Website: www.jessemorganbarnett.com

Work Location: Tulsa People Magazine, June 2020, p. 21