Curated by Trinidad Fombella
26 June - 19 July 2010
Opening Reception, Saturday 26 June, 5-7 p.m. with lush-ious drinks by
artists on artists visit+discussion, Saturday 10 July, 4:30 p.m.
Click here to view the exhibition
Revolving around themes of abundance, beauty, seduction and identity, Lush welcomes the warmth of summer, its vibrant colors, the sweet fragrances of blooming flowers, and the lingering dreams of hot glowing nights. The exhibition features different media including photography, installation, painting, collage and sculpture, and includes works by Elia Alba, Sol Aramendi, Firelei Baez, Cecile Chong, Rhea O’Neill, Coco Papy, Lina Puerta, and Mary Valverde.
Elia Alba (b. New York 1962, lives and works in New York) creates hybrid models of women, in this particular series, covered in flower dresses, their bodies hidden by plants and trees, and some come alive in unexpected ways. Her work explores female identity, in particular the mysteries and inconsistencies of living in multi-racial cities today. Similar approach is that of Coco Papy ( b. Savannah, Georgia 1985, lives and works in Brooklyn). Grotesque seduction defines her mixed media collages of female bodies, created from fashionable images where glamour is filled with sparkle, flowers and feathers. These inbred characters reflect upon contradictions of femininity and cultural identity, related to the trends of plasticization and social distortion of women in the contemporary world. Resistant to these artificially created images, Sol Aramendi ( b. Argentina, lives and works in New York) presents the beauty found in the natural female body juxtaposed with enclosed lavish landscapes and thriving flowers.
Richness and abundance characterise Rhea O’Neill’s ( b. United Kingdom 1983, lives and works in London), heavily textured oil paintings, depicting fantasy landscapes in a variety of sweet pastel and vibrant colors. Cecile Chong (b. Ecuador, lives and works in New York) takes images from vintage children’s books and elsewhere to address the process of assimilation and the development of an individual identity through her encaustic-based works.
Juicy watercolours by Firelei Baez (b. Dominican Republic, lives and works in New York) burst with nature and luxuriant growths, introducing feminine shapes and mixing them with banana leaves and high heels creating succulent and sensual bodies. Lina Puerta (b. Colombia, lives and works in New York) also looks at the body: its cycles and fragility as well as its power, sensuality and sacredness. She blends botanical and anatomical forms bringing out the corporeal and emotional states of the body frequently hidden under cosmetics or clothing.
Mary Valverde’s (b. New York, lives and works in New York) installation brings to the gallery space organic but also very rational abstract compositions. Her wall drawing series is inspired in her investigations of numeric and geometric patterns found in nature, turning into elaborate but delicate living organisms.
Trinidad Fombella, from El Museo del Barrio in New York, has recently curated, together with No Longer Empty, Weaving In & Out, an exhibition of contemporary international artists, currently on view at Tapestry, located at 245 East 124th St. until August 29th, 2010.
The exhibition opening will be paired with sensuous cocktails mixed with St Germain, a fine artisanal liqueur made in France with handpicked elderflower blossoms.