Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

On View: “Body of Land” by Alexandra Levasseur at Mirus Gallery

Canadian artist Alexandra Levasseur (previously covered here) has new oil and acrylic paintings on view at Mirus Gallery, "Body of Land". Her tormented yet feminine subjects, painted in an expressionist style, make a reappearance as if out of a dream. Levasseur's artwork has always exhibited dreamlike qualities. Here, her subjects exist somewhere between a deep subconscious state and wakefulness. We find them melting into abstract landscapes, non-descript yet wild and untouched. In some of her most gestural work to date, physical form and nature are combined to create a single "body of land."

Canadian artist Alexandra Levasseur (previously covered here) has new oil and acrylic paintings on view at Mirus Gallery, “Body of Land”. Her tormented yet feminine subjects, painted in an expressionist style, make a reappearance as if out of a dream. Levasseur’s artwork has always exhibited dreamlike qualities. Here, her subjects exist somewhere between a deep subconscious state and wakefulness. We find them melting into abstract landscapes, non-descript yet wild and untouched. In some of her most gestural work to date, physical form and nature are combined to create a single “body of land.” As in her “Hommage à Odilon” series, she strips the identity of the subject completely and fills the face with a patch of scenery. Others replace mountain ranges and landforms with a young girls’ profile. Levasseur believes that the elements of our being are directly related to those surrounding us. These women embody Levasseur’s idea of a heroine or a protector of a nature; a symbol that she uses to emphasize the link between our mental state and environment.

“Body of Land” by Alexandra Levasseur will be on view at Mirus Gallery through April 11th, 2015.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Jennifer Nehrbass's artworks look like collages at a first glance, but the seemingly cut and pasted images of geological formations, abstract patterns and human characters are actually painted with oils. The artist fits many disparate images and influences into her work. Her narrative paintings plant the viewer alongside female protagonists (most of whom are Nehrbass herself) who are undergoing journeys — adventures through the rocky, American Southwestern terrain as well as journeys of self-discovery. Nehrbass says that she uses herself as a primary subject because her work is a critique of the established art historical and sartorial cannons. Influenced by Cindy Sherman and author Margaret Atwood, she plays with different identities and creates various personas through the elaborate staging of details. Each woman faces a different adventure and must find her own path.
In Taylor Schultek’s riveting oil paintings, an urban structure is as much a character as his human subjects. The connection between humanity and environment is often at play, with the art of graffiti often in progress. The artist's own history in graffiti and graphic design seem to converge in building believable backdrops.
Berlin-based French artist Jaybo Monk (covered here) creates visual collages where figures and their surroundings become one, a place that he calls "nowhere." He then mixes unexpected elements into this nonsensical space, an experimentation Jaybo also carries into his sculptural works. "I want to disobey in my paintings; disobey the symmetry, the techniques and the narratives system. I am interested in nonsense, the only space for me where freedom is real. I use tools like chance and mistakes to evaluate my craft. I flirt with the impossible. I need to go to places I`ve never been before." We visited with Jaybo in his Berlin studio, where he is now working on a new series inspired by immigration.
Kevin Peterson is a Houston-based oil painter recognized for scenes in which wild animals and children interact against urban backdrops. One Peterson piece, "Coalition II," was recently used as the cover for the newest Red Hot Chili Peppers record, "The Getaway." The artist’s third solo exhibition with Thinkspace Gallery, "Sovereign," runs through Sept. 10. Peterson last appeared on HiFructose.com here.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List