VIS-A-VISAGE
A group exhibition featuring Sandra Fettingis, Micki Tschur, Jenny Morgan, Douglas Walker and Danielle Zimmerman.
Curated by Plus gallery owner Ivar Zeile and intern Jessica Zewe
JUNE 27 – AUGUST 16, 2008
Opening Reception Friday, June 27 at 7pm
Plus Gallery is delighted to present the intern curated exhibition Vis-A-Visage this upcoming June 27th at the project space Object + Thought. This collaborative effort between interns Jessica Zewe and Brittany Schall under the guidance of owner Ivar Zeile illustrates the various conceptual forms of the female visage within a contemporary context.
The works chosen for this exhibition are meant to exemplify how the fundamental roots of historic female portraiture have evolved over time in response to new mediums, medias, and cultural phenomenon. These attributes are all evident in the works with the incorporation of man made materials, visual commentaries on consumerism, and the exploration of new rendering techniques. The artist’s offer a wide range of styles that integrate everything from pop culture icons to design elements on plexi- glass.
The individuals selected for this exhibition compose an assortment of diversity both in their works and in their backgrounds as well. The performer/ pop artisan Danielle Zimmermann gives a German take to pop art with “Homage to Andy Warhol”. The multi piece installation incorporates pornographic imagery, glorified American icons, all amusingly juxtaposed with the German equivalent to Wal-Mart shopping bags. Her work threads between the lines of fine art and mass reproduction for consumer consumption. Drawn to this through seductive imagery and alluring colors found in advertisements, Danielle is fascinated how these attributes influence individuals consuming patterns. The prevalent female imagery is then used to illustrate the assortment of roles women are expected to juggle ranging from nurturer to sexual fantasy. This graduate of Stuttgart’s Academy for Fine Arts delivers a fresh approach to the female portrait with the voice of existing media.
The other artist exhibiting who shares a German background both in origin and academics is Colorado Springs resident Micki Tschur. She also addresses female roles though more specifically in relation to motherhood. Her unique, economized, and childlike rendered paintings are a satirical portrayal of the contemporary mother. The pieces epitomize the numerous and demanding facets of a mother through double meanings within a pluralistic society. This is a continuing theme for Micki as her body of work has utilized everything from traditional media to offbeat taxidermy sculptures. The paintings for Vis-A-Visage are more formally driven as they explore the relationships between varying geometric and organic forms rendered in structured color schemes. It is a treat for Plus Gallery to exhibit this ever evolving and promising artist who has had her works displayed everywhere from London, Italy, to Germany.
Sandra Fettingis, a recent transplant to Denver from Chicago, contributes her “Laser and Pattern Heads” which add a chic design quality to Vis-A-Visage. The innovative works are reminiscent of traditional female cameos but employ graphic motifs inspired by ’60’s and ’70’s consumer packaging. Though her works reflect obvious contemporary elements, they draw upon “quiet” historic portraiture mannerisms. This enables a shift in the focus to the elaborate patterning and ornamental aspects versus personal narratives. Her progressive approach to articulating graphic influences through acrylic paints on plexi- glas shows this Columbia College graduate a promising future within the contemporary art realm.
An artist who is personally redefining the traditional techniques of painting is Toronto artist Douglas Walker. For over 20 years Walker has fostered an impressive career that has visually reinvented itself several times and remains ever impressive. Though he has explored various mediums such as photography, etchings, and diverse approaches to painting, his works have has transitioned with fluidity in their conceptualization. Always inspired by the beauty of ambiguity, his works reverberate “pretty” aesthetics with eerie undertones. This exceptional artist has been exhibited in such places as ICA in London and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art. He will show his distinctive minimal blue palate female portraitures that resonate with Victorian and calligraphy elements.
Plus Gallery is also thrilled to have the pleasure of unveiling a new painting by long-time favorite Jenny Morgan, as well as a recent collaborative piece with fellow NY artist David Mramor. Fresh from completing her graduate studies at New York Cities premier School of Visual Arts, Morgan has delved into works that dismantle the process of historic female portraiture by allowing the startlingly fleshy red under painting to “bleed” through. These paintings illustrate the artists heavily invested relationship and response to the “conventional” painting process, successfully raising the question “when is a painting complete” while challenging the success of her own previous works. Her collaboration piece also presents a fascinating divergence from her preceding paintings by the unique reactions that take place between the two artists. Mramor’s heavy abstract treatment of paint beautifully accentuates Morgan’s tight rendering techniques. Together, the polarization creates a dynamic energy that can only be felt in person.
With the return of one of Denver’s most successful artists of the past decade and the inclusion of talented international artists, Vis-A-Visage is easily one of the hallmark events for the gallery and the art-scene this year.
Object + Thought
3559 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80205
Hours: Monday through Friday, 10am - 5pm
www.plusgallery.com
www.objectandthought.com
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