Allison Schulnik
dal 25/6/2007 al 30/7/2007
Segnalato da
25/6/2007
Allison Schulnik
Rokeby Gallery (old location), London
No Luck
No Luck
Rokeby will present LA based painter, Allison
Schulnik's first solo exhibition in the UK.
Within thickly sculpted oil paint Allison Schulnik
presents moments that mix historical fact with blatant
fiction. Majestic dramas and compositions embody
the spirit of the macabre in a Shakespearian brand of
love, death and farce providing the viewer with a
haunting sense of foreboding combined with
compassion and expectation.
Frequently there is no recognisable central
compositional focal point in Schulnik's largest
paintings; in Wrestling, 2007 fantastical figures twist
and turn across the canvas mutating into and
alongside the paint. However as was the case in
historical portraiture when painting solitary figures or
beings the artist does focus on the subject's gaze. In
so doing Schulnik creates an unforgettable sense of
apprehension on a fundamental level, but aims also
to reveal a more deep-seated sense of understanding
and compassion for her troupe of cast-off's.
In many instances Schulnik appears to draw from
literature and a contemporary sense of the gothic,
however her hero's are culled from the imagination
and subsequently elevated into the realm of painting.
Engulfed in layers of gloopy paint each of Schulnik's
characters, whether misshapen animals or alien
beast, are however built upon a human frame, which
results in an awkward and surprising earthliness. As
with our contemporary understanding of tragedy the
protagonists appear both admirable and flawed, so
that we are at once able to understand and
sympathize with them whether they are occupied with
otherworld buffoonery or presented in a simple,
dignified moment. Schulnik even dedicates whole
canvases to painted bouquets in their honor.
Further references to art history include Schulnik's
romantic landscapes; here her palette lightens and
there is a greater sense of space within the
compositions. This is evident in two new works for the
exhibition; Empty Stubbs Landscape 1 and 2, where
the landscapes are devoid of the central characters of
the original paintings, it is here that the artist hopes
the viewer's own unique experiences can be played
out.
It may appear that Schulnik has a love hate
relationship with her subjects but the true dichotomy
exists with the paint itself. By using old, worn brushes,
and thick concoctions of paint scraped from failed
experiments the artist does not allow herself the
flexibility and time to concentrate on any one area of a
composition. Despite what could be mistaken for
excess in her use of paint, the artist achieves a
measure of control in the apparent chaos to form
coherent scenes, which emerge from the paint.
Schulnik received her BFA in Experimental Animation
at the California Institute of Arts in 2000. Her paintings
have been exhibited internationally at venues including
Mark Moore Gallery, Los Angeles, Black Dragon
Society, Los Angeles, Bellwether Gallery, New York,
Groeflin Maag Galerie, Basel, The Armory Show, New
York, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Santa Monica
Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art,
Chicago. Schulnik's work is included in a number of
public and private collections worldwide.
Rokeby Gallery
37 Store Street - London