 Lucy Stein: Inadequate Tableaux, 2007 Lucy Stein Inadequate Tableaux Shana Moulton Whispering Pines Lucy Stein's new paintings are life affirming whilst acknowledging that bleakly comedic twists of fate can dramatically influence our lives. Stein makes figurative oil paintings and drawings, often incorporating elements of collage such as magazine cut-outs, drawings and materials such make up or cigarette butts. By using different techniques to create works, Stein allows her art to have different rhythms and tempos. Some of the works are heavily encrusted, made over a sustained period as she grappled with her subject matter. Others, such as her ink drawings, are more spontaneous and display a more energetic slight of hand. All however, combine text and image to express concern for cleansing, purifying and feminine anxiety. Expanding upon the themes that characterised previous works such as female sexuality and the reliance of prescription drugs to solve our problems, Stein now offers alternative ways through her anxious and chaotic landscapes. We catch glimpses of figures as they walk out of the picture space in swimming gear. While for most of us appearing in our swimming costumes can be an embarrassing ritual, Stein sees the act as empowering. Swimming is presented as an alternative drug: a coping mechanism that provides both space and time for personal contemplation. But besides that, Stein points to the funny side of swimming. Frenzied psychedelic paintings incorporate the speedo logo reminding us of that mixture of awkwardness and absurdity when we see people in their swimming trunks. For her second solo exhibition at Gimpel Fils, Stein has also created a series of works that position process and chance at their centre. Stein has developed a system of drawing that she describes as the "some girls are bigger than others" method. Black ink is poured liberally down the paper and figures are drawn struggling to fit into, or escape from, the spidery gaps. The size and shape of her female figures are dependent on chance and undermine the contemporary desire to control body size and weight. Stein's message seems to be that environment and luck are more influential on our self-image than we would like to admit. Equally these works demonstrate Stein's willingness and ability to step back from her work and allow the processes of how she works influence the content. To coincide with Lucy Stein's exhibition we are delighted to present work by Shana Moulton in the Downstairs gallery. Stein and Moulton studied at De Ateliers in Amsterdam together and have collaborated on the video piece, Cynthiaesthesia, included in Moulton's exhibition. Lucy Stein graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2004 and has recently completed her postgraduate studies at De Ateliers, Amsterdam. She has exhibited widely, both as a solo artist and as part of the duo "Blood 'n Feathers". In 2005 she was included in the group exhibition "Campbell's Soup", curated by Neil Mulholland. The following year she was selected for the show "Glasgow" at Lightbox, LA, curated by Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand and "Just in Time", at Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, curated by Maxine Kopsa. Lucy Stein has had several solo shows, including "Holy Worry", Gimpel Fils, 2005 and "Lucy Stein - Paintings and drawings", at Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam in 2006. With Jo Robertson, "Blood 'n Feathers" was nominated for the Beck's Futures Prize 2006.  Shana Moulton: Whispering Pines Shana Moulton creates performance and video works that examine bodily and spiritual anxieties and their relationship to popular culture, self-help goods and functionless consumer objects. For her exhibition at Gimpel Fils, Moulton will present works from her on-going video series "Whispering Pines". In these works, Moulton creates surreal narratives about the life of Cynthia, a woman trapped in a mundane life searching for enlightenment. In her series of episodic videos Cynthia engages in pathetic situations that become playful and profound. Using visual and aural displacements to create narrative twists, Moulton reveals the strangeness of reality and an endless labyrinth of associations that can be drawn from the trashiest of media and consumer goods. Moulton's work probes the limitations and fantasies of twenty-first century femininity. Combining an unsettling, wry humour with a low-tech, pop sensibility, Moulton enacts Cynthia, a character whose interactions with the everyday world are humdrum but which become dreamlike and strange thanks to her engagement with new age symbols and alchemical rituals. Through her banal home decorations, Cynthia searches for fulfilment, purpose and salvation. Her struggles with the mundane, the eclectic and the disposable, offer a unique perspective on the relationship between spirituality and consumerism in contemporary society. During the private view on Thursday 6 September Shana Moulton will bring Cynthia and her strange world to life through an innovative use of sets, props, costume and video. Coinciding with Shana Moulton's exhibition we will be presenting new work by Lucy Stein in the Main Gallery. Moulton and Stein studied at De Ateliers in Amsterdam together and have collaborated on the video piece, "Cynthiaesthesia", included in Moulton's exhibition. Shana Moulton studied at the University of California, Berkeley and attended the MFA program at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. Moulton has also recently attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine, and studied at De Ateliers in Amsterdam. Her video work has been screened and exhibited internationally, including at "Loop '05" Video Festival, Barcelona; Rencontres internationales Paris/Berlin, Paris; Dark Light Festival, Dublin; Impakt Festival, Utrecht; Internationale Kurzfilmtage, Oberhausen; European Media Arts Festival, Osnabruck; Fondazione Mudima, Milan; Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam; New Media Festival, Seoul; Version Festival, Chicago; Portland Documentary and Experimental Film Festival, Portland; Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Socrates Scupture Park, New York; Electronic Arts Intermix, New York; Canada Gallery, New York; and Bellwether, New York. Moulton currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Exhibition: 6 September - 6 October 2007 Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 10 am - 5.30 pm, Sat 11 am - 4 pm Gimpel Fils 30 Davies Street GB-London, W1K 4NB Telephone +44 20 7493 2488 Fax +44 20 7629 5732 Email info@gimpelfils.com www.gimpelfils.com |
 |