ÉLAINE DESPINS

ÉLAINE DESPINS /// PRÉSENCE / ÉMERGENCE

Presence / Emergence is a series of large format oil paintings giving full presence to the human body. Suspended in the upper part of the painting against an absolute black setting, these horizontal nude backs act as a poetic metaphor from which emanate both our strength as well as the more vulnerable aspect of ourselves. In the bottom part of the painting, a small face emerges, barely visible, almost like an apparition, gazing at the viewer.

A parallel series of small square paintings echoes what we see in the lower part of the large format oils. This series constitutes the artist’s visual exploration of the experience of sensing the body from within. It is this exploration that leads the artist to question the imperious quality and depth of what is perceived visually. What interests her is the gap between what is seen and what is felt. This rift calls into question the primacy, even the veracity, of sight. Through the felt sense, the body is perceived from within like a fluid mass, a space with indefinite boundaries. The concerns of this artist are not narrative, contextual or psychological. Rather, she seeks to throw into question our preconceived ideas and beliefs about the representation of the human body and to solicit the senses in a new way. Her painting is a way of reflecting a world that is complex, touching and fundamentally paradoxical.


☁ ÉLAINE DESPINS

LUIS GONZALEZ PALMA

LUIS GONZALEZ PALMA /// ARA SOLIS

Luis González Palma is a modernist Guatemalan photographer. Born in 1957, the artist grew up in Guatemala City where he later continued to live and opened up a portrait studio. He studied architecture and cinematography at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and then turned to photography. He has presented his work since 1989-present in more than 58 expositions in America and Europe. (Wikipedia)

☁ LUIS GONZALEZ PALMA

JENS HESSE

JENS HESSE /// Paintings, influenced by digital distorted satellite signals (OIL ON CORDUROY)

"My work examines the emotions of daily life. Facial expressions and figures in my paintings reveal only one part of the emotion, in addition there is a surreal element: emotions resulting from the world of numerical signals.


We live in a numerical time, a time when all that was analogical becomes numerical. Everywhere, digital images are at our disposal, reaching us by satellite, TNT (terrestrial TV) or by cable. They surround us in the form of signals and electronic waves. In my work I initially try to transform a piece using digital visual effects. Especially for this exhibition, I translated my work into the vertical banding effect seen on LCD-screens. In doing so, I looked to corduroy as inspiration. I simulated the vertical lines using darker colours for the furrows and lighter colours for the ribbing.


During digital transmissions there are often disturbances occuring if the apparatus is malfunctioning, the receiver is unstable or if the signal is disrupted by atmospheric circumstances such as a storm. These disturbances can trigger various visual effects: image shifts, transformations of the image, interruptions, blurring, pixilation, colour changes, ghostly effects or image merging.


All these projections and disturbances are part of our everyday life. They influence the way we view our world. For most viewers, these disturbances are quite literally, disturbing. On the other hand, such transformations in still images intensify a visual experiment and reinforce an emotional expression.
The images in my work are based on photographs of a TV screen, with all its accidental irregularities. They are no photomontage. They are snapshots of reality, translated into paintings.


In summary, my paintings show the characters of three types of optical images which influence the final image: TV/video (the source of the image), photographs (the means of recording the image) and finally the paintings themselves."

☁ JENS HESSE

KARINE LAVAL

KARINE LAVAL /// POOLSCAPES

"In the Poolscapes series I'm trying to explore the friction between the real and the imaginary. In some of the images the main subject is not the pool anymore but the invisible world surrounding it reflected in the water. I intentionally flipped some of the images upside down as I like to use photography to challenge the familiar perception we have of the world and I often see my pictures as a bridge between the world we live in and a more surreal and dreamlike dimension. I think that aspect in my work is not only created by the sometimes-unusual angles, but also by the color palette I use, which gives the images a painterly quality. I do find inspiration in painting, both abstract and figurative, and some of the images in the series intentionally echo some modern and contemporary painters." (KARINE LAVAL)

Born in Paris in 1971, KARINE LAVAL currently lives and works in New York. Educated at the University of La Sorbonne and the University of ASSAS in Paris, where she majored in communications and journalism, she completed her education with photography and design courses at Cooper Union, SVA and the New School of New York.

☁ KARINE LAVAL

CHELSEA BENTLEY JAMES

CHELSEA BENTLEY JAMES
Chelsea James earned a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Utah in 2006. During her undergraduate career, she was the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards and has since shown work at a several galleries and museums throughout Utah and California. Southwest Magazine, Salt Lake City Magazine and, most recently, Design Sponge, have praised her as a talented artist on the rise, one whose technical prowess and earnest imagination render her worthy of close attention.

"Painting is a study of our existence, spirit, and environment, derived from experiences in life. I choose objects that evoke childhood memories, create situations of atmospheric mystery, and bring visual interest through interaction. I’m intrigued by subtle shifts in value and color; yet seek a personal interpretation of the objects rather than a replication. Personality is revealed through the process of painting. Abstract remnants from my process remain visible in the final product. The hand must obey the spirit. "

☁ CHELSEA BENTLEY JAMES