Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Sarah Emerson Paints a Wacky, Dark World in “The Unbearable Flatness of Being”

Atlanta, Georgia based artist Sarah Emerson's paintings and murals portray a world where sweetness and craziness collide in energetic displays. These colorful landscapes present a bizarre version of actual places or things, inspired by the ways that time and human intervention affects them. Words like loopy, cartoony, even psychedelic are often used to describe her imagery, populated by Disney-cute animals like baby deer and googley-eyed creatures, who peek through a thick foliage of wavy shapes and lines. Emerson once said that if there is any message that runs through all of her paintings, it's that life is delicate and temporary, and she urges us to be present in it. This philosophy is at the heart of her solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, "The Unbearable Flatness of Being".

Atlanta, Georgia based artist Sarah Emerson‘s paintings and murals portray a world where sweetness and craziness collide in energetic displays. These colorful landscapes present a bizarre version of actual places or things, inspired by the ways that time and human intervention affects them. Words like loopy, cartoony, even psychedelic are often used to describe her imagery, populated by Disney-cute animals like baby deer and googley-eyed creatures, who peek through a thick foliage of wavy shapes and lines. Emerson once said that if there is any message that runs through all of her paintings, it’s that life is delicate and temporary, and she urges us to be present in it. This philosophy is at the heart of her solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, “The Unbearable Flatness of Being”, where a black cloud hangs over her trippy forest land. In her large-scale and expansive 18-piece series, trees and brush appear to have been destroyed by an unknown force, which we can only assume is the presence of man, suggested in the graffiti tags left behind by “Kilroy.” As the palette turns gray, creatures take shelter in underground burrows while the ground is littered with skull-like formations and bare branches. Emerson admits that her work mixes in a little darkness within the beautiful, bright setting, as that is the nature of life and the world she is the most familiar with.

“The Unbearable Flatness of Being” by Sarah Emerson is now on view at the MOCA GA through February 6th, 2016.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Recently named the most popular artist of 2014, Yayoi Kusama (HF Vol. 25) has currently taken over two expansive spaces at David Zwirner Gallery in New York. Her exhibition, "Give Me Love," which closes this week, includes a reenactment of her popular installation, "The Obliteration Room" (2002), new pumpkin sculptures, and paintings. They share the hallucinatory, obsessive, and energetic qualities we've seen throughout her career, something this exhibition aims to embody. More photos after the jump.
In painting nature, artist David Kroll evokes a classical sense of beauty and fragility. He combines elements of naturalist painting and still life in his portrayal of animals like elegant egrets and koi which perch and swim around delicate objects. Though remarkably detailed and inspired by early landscape painting, Kroll has said that he wants to paint a version of the wild that is romantic, and not necessarily realistic. "I paint refuges, places to go to for solace. I want my paintings to be destinations of quiet and calm," he says. "However, this world is fragile."
Swiss photographer Robert Bösch captures his mountain climbing adventures in picturesque destinations across the world. While much of his work consists of conventional landscape photography and documentation of extreme sports, his fine art and advertising photography puts a playful spin on the aforementioned genres.
Australian artist Reka (covered here), now based in Berlin, has become recognized for the colorful and energetic aesthetic of his graffiti and paintings. The figures in his work have a variety of characteristics that are whimsical, yet bold and vigorous. His new body of work, "OLYMPVS," on view at AvantGarden Gallery in Italy, continues to mix contradicting styles. Inspired by scenes from Ancient Greece and its Mount Olympus, Reka's new pieces combine classical themes with a futuristic look. In poppy, vibrant colors, fragmented into Cubist compositions, he depicts bathing nudes, marble busts, and still life.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List