calendario eventi  :: 

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14/11/2003

Three exhibitions

Berman/Turner Projects, Santa Monica

Irene Hardwicke Olivieri
Thousand Acre Swamp
new works

Unlocking personal and hidden secrets beneath the surface of swamp life, Irene Hardwicke Oliveri depicts the complex ecosystem of the swamp as an inventive metaphor for human life. Delicately curling tendrils of plants weaving in and out of water and land illustrate the growth of thoughts and secrets in and out of our consciousness. In these highly sensual and organic depictions, Hardwicke Olivieri brings to life a ³visceral world revealed by the ever-changing water levels in a swamp [which] parallels our own lives and relationships. . .surprises under the surface, suppressed and hidden emotions, and the myriad of interconnected relationships.'

Rife with lush and verdant flora, Hardwicke Olivieri's autobiographical Still a tadpole, already a frog depicts a woman's head half submerged underwater. The abundant imagery depicts the amalgamation of all the things that happened in her early life, and most significantly, her upcoming move to the West. The area of the woman's face below the water surface is teeming with aquatic growth, depicting the life that she had established before this pivotal move. A tadpole woman lurks about beneath the surface, below an outcrop of trees, foreshadowing a transition. Besides her transitional morphology, her position in the painting anticipates change, where she will emerge and uproot herself from her present habitat.

In Bound to be surprized, the show's biggest painting, Hardwicke Olivieri has painted a tiny portrait of every single thing she owns and is packing to take with her while confronting transition. This painting creates a giant mosaic of miniature books, paintboxes, pets, drawings, dresses, shoes, appliances, furniture, as well as small versions of each painting in this show. Bound to be surprized reflects, like so many of Hardwicke Olivieri's works, a nostalgic and masterful depiction of life, growth and change.

Irene Hardwicke Olivieri has been recognized and featured in numerous publications like The New Yorker, Art in America, and Artext. She has also received wide acclaim for her original work in galleries nationwide. This is Irene Hardwicke Olivieri's 5th exhibition at the Robert Berman Gallery. Please join us at the artists' reception on Saturday, November 15, 2003 at 6pm.

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Jeff Britton
The PlayPen
paintings

Producing highly painterly works, Britton captures subtle, yet evocative scenes from his experiences in Los Angeles and presents contemplative examinations of urban settings that challenge viewers to reexamine their perceptions of such places. His approach to color and light as the principal components to experiencing and perceiving life is demonstrated in his raw depictions of places eponymous the title painting, The Playpen. Although Britton's realist depictions of Los Angeles reflect a raw and gritty impression of the city, they also reveal a forlorn and sentimental side of what usually would be considered otherwise.

Drawing his inspiration from what he sees everyday, Britton paints 'to capture that grandeur, those tragedies, those things you see.' Although the images may represent what Angelenos and local visitors may see day to day, his works reflect what may be seen but then easily overlooked or forgotten. By doing so, these works force the viewer to reflect and refamiliarize themselves with such milieus in order to reconfigure these places as significant to their daily experience.

Britton's work has appeared in many solo exhibitions and group shows in New York and California. He made his first appearance at the Robert Berman Gallery in October 2002 for the '1,000 Clowns' exhibition.

This is Jeff Britton's first solo exhibition at the Robert Berman Gallery. Please join us for the artist reception on Saturday, November 15, 2003 at 6pm.

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Tyson Grumm
Landloper
paintings

Created entirely in the mind of the artist, these colorful and imaginative works juxtapose seemingly incongruous elements within each frame, such as humans and wild animals amidst whimsical backdrops, producing a bizarro-world setting where everything is topsy-turvy.

As one of our period's foremost contemporary realist surrealist's, Grumm's freeze-framed images capture a world where the only clues to the past and the future can be derived from the figures located within fantastical surroundings. Consequently, each work reveals a story that is only partially told, enabling each viewer to contribute their own unique story to the completion of each of Grumm's works.

In Upsidedownlifter, Grumm depicts a man suspended from a tight rope by his knees. Dressed in typical office attire, complete with pens in his shirt pocket, the viewer is immediately struck by the man's hidden identity, making him at once a representation of everyman and no-man. But this is where the familiar ends and the fantastic begins. The man dangles precariously in front of an ominous sky and above sinister mountains, far away from the corporate urban environment he so obviously inhabits.

The individuality of Grumm's work is harmonized by the way he frames each painting. 'Many of my paintings have a collage of things that I have come across in my life: maps, beach driftwood, books, et cetera. All these elements build history and create the personality of each painting. I attempt to make their frames very personal as well, giving their own unique, containment, much like an antique.' By creating such three-dimensional frames with elaborate decorations, the artist successfully blurs the boundaries between painting and sculpture.

This is Tyson Grumm's 1st solo exhibition at the Robert Berman Gallery. He has also shown in San Francisco as well as various galleries in Oregon and Washington. Please join us at the artist's reception on Saturday, November 15, 2003 at 5pm.

Images: (1) Irene Hardwicke Olivieri, "Still a tadpole, already a frog", 2003, oil on wood, 24 x 21 1/2". (2) Tyson Grumm, "The Battle at Banana Box Wall", 2003, acrylic on wood, 18 x 24". (3) Jeff Britton, ³The Playpen", 2002, oil on canvas, 24 x 24".

Robert Berman Gallery, C2 Projects and D5 Projects
Bergamot Station Art Center
2525 Michigan Avenue, C-2, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: (310) 315-1937, Fax: (310) 315-9508

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