Jennae Santos is an interdisciplinary artist building tactile mythos with lovesong and sound, eco-sensory performance, social installation, and the psychedelic-somatic spirit of play.
I live in Brooklyn, I was born and raised in the Bay Area, and I trace my bloodlines across the Philippines archipelago. These varied coastlines— urban/queer, powerful/dramatic, vibrant/tropical compose the space in my heart from which my art practice spills forth.
I cast mythologies through music, sound, performance, social practice, installation, and video. These storied abstractions are a mix of the ancient and the subconscious. My work is fed by Indigenous Filipino psychology and combat, plant medicine, foodways, and land-sea ecologies poeticized through the lens of genderqueer fluidity, decolonization, dreaming, and pleasure autonomy.
About
gushes is my progressive performance art-rock project for which I compose, direct, play guitar, and sing. A tapestry of interlocking, polyrhythmic, ambient, and textural guitar loops form the foundation for lyrical songwriting. The loops are organically off-kilter and never quantized. An ever-evolving roster of collaborators further energizes gushes compositions. The music is arranged for chamber prog ensemble, rock band, movement cycle, sound installation, and drone. Performances are often ritualistic and employ light, wind, mirrors, and plants.
Eternal Oyster is an earth body research-response container for eco-poetics, earth shapes, and animal architecture grounded in landback, and food & climate justice. Eternal Oyster is also one half of Tree+Oyster— my sensory installation partnership with Ana “Tree" Vásquez. Both named Oyster projects explore social practice as nonverbal play and co-creative ritual to cultivate communal intimacy.
Projects
Upcoming shows
November 8
gushes ft Ricky Petraglia
Cutelab NYC
Brooklyn, NY
December 6
gushes x Matt Evans
Light and Sound Design
Brooklyn, NY
Portugal Tour 2025
gushes x Matt Evans
24 Jan - ZDB, Lisbon
30 Jan - Maus Hábitos, Porto
1 Feb - SQUARE Festival, Braga