Civilization is overrated presents a darkly comic turn to Partegà s' Pop-influenced handmade explorations of urban space and consumer lifestyles. Dramatically-scaled sculptures engulf the entire gallery.
CIVILIZATION IS OVERRATED
Foxy Production announces CIVILIZATION IS OVERRATED, Ester Partegà s'
fourth New York solo exhibition. CIVILIZATION IS OVERRATED presents
a darkly comic turn to Partegà s' Pop-influenced handmade
explorations of urban space and consumer lifestyles.
Dramatically-scaled sculptures engulf the entire gallery: a
trompe-l'oeil thirteen foot high throw-away plastic bag is squeezed
between floor and ceiling; a regular-sized bench nestles at its
base, appearing miniaturized; a glistening wintry tree sculpture
towers alongside, furthering a sense of disorientation; other
fabricated detritus are crammed into the remaining space.
Partegàs invites us to enter a paradoxical, almost Beckettian world
that suggests the possibility of both inevitable apocalypse and a
continuous present - doomsday everyday. Her 'endgame' embodies a
cool aesthetic that transcends reassuring notions of the 'handmade'
and questions the packaged nature of urban design and culture.
Partegàs brings a 'Biotech' currency into play: her angular tree
sculpture is an actualization of virtual modeling; its wooden trunk
and branches are geometrical, yet its irregular structure suggests
mutation. CIVILIZATION IS OVERRATED offers no safe viewing
positions; like an enormous viral life form, it physically
overwhelms.
Ester Partegàs was born in 1972 in La Garriga, Barcelona, and is
based in Brooklyn. She holds a BFA from the Universitat de Barcelona
and has completed postgraduate studies in Multimedia at Hochschule
der Künste, Berlin. Selected solo exhibitions include Centre d'Art
Santa Mónica, Barcelona (2003); Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center,
Buffalo, NY (2003); Rice University Art Gallery, Houston, TX (2002);
Helga de Alvear, Madrid (2001). Selected group exhibitions: 'The
Paper Sculpture Show', SculptureCenter, New York (2003); 'Outer
City/Inner Space', Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria, New
York (2002). 'The Passions of the Good Citizen', apexart curatorial
program, New York (2002). Partegàs has been featured in Flash Art,
Tema Celeste, Sculpture, Cabinet, ABC Cultural, Lapiz
and ArtText.
In the image: #2 Homeless Styrofoam, paper, iron, plastic, acrylic and wire, 1999.
Opening reception: Saturday, March 6, 6.00 - 8.00 pm
Dates: March 6 to April 10, 2004
Gallery hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 11.00 am - 6.00 pm
Upcoming at FP: April 17-May 22 - '3D' by PAPER RAD
At the Whitney Biennial: BEIGE members Cory Arcangel and Paul B.
Davis present 'Nap Time'
Foxy Production is directed by Michael Gillespie and John Thomson.
For further information or high resolution images: t: 212 239 2758
FOXY PRODUCTION
547 WEST 27 ST, FL 6
NEW YORK NY 10001
(between 10 and 11 avenues)
t: 212 239 2758