Nuno de Campos
dal 11/4/2003 al 10/5/2003
Segnalato da
11/4/2003
Nuno de Campos
LFL Gallery, New York
8 new tempera paintings. The small, square pieces organized in pairs depict from a low point of view, the midsection of a woman, shoulders to knees. In each, the woman is dressed in '70s style clothes and is involved in a range of activities. Within each pair of paintings, her dialogue with the viewer is mediated by an allusive object. We do not see her face, nor do we know where she is.
For his first solo show at LFL Gallery, Nuno de Campos will be displaying 8 new tempera paintings. The small, square pieces organized in pairs depict from a low point of view, the midsection of a woman, shoulders to knees. In each, the woman is dressed in '70s style clothes and is involved in a range of activities. Within each pair of paintings, her dialogue with the viewer is mediated by an allusive object. We do not see her face, nor do we know where she is. Judging by the garments and props, the action could have happened 30 years ago, or in recent past. The artist invites us to construct a narrative based only on her apparent circumstances.
A jar of Vicks VapoRub is held and opened in the two paintings entitled "Rub". The suspense of these images conjures memories of pleasure and emotional soothing offered by the use of the menthol gel.
In the two paintings entitled "Single", the woman scrutinizes the back of the cover of a 45-rpm record featuring the song entitled "Ne me quitte pas" (Don't leave me) by Jacques Brel. She wears a pale blue dress with a wilted flower pattern. The paper sleeve that displays an image of the Belgian singer performing his famous song in an anguished pose, becomes both an intriguing object for self-reflection and a barrier to the woman beyond.
The image of the revolutionary Che Guevara is endorsed by the protagonist in the two paintings called Shirt". These paintings hover undecidedly between the realms of politics and voyeurism, creating a pathos of desire and shared convictions.
In the paired paintings "Trip", the seated woman absently plays with a miniature, Volkswagen bus. As the toy is dragged over her leg, which is covered in a garish flower-stamped dress, we are taken on a mental voyage, in space and in time.
Throughout this idiosyncratic group of paintings, de Campos invites his viewers to draw from common memories and impart his works with longing, desire and affection. This show offers parallel dialogues between the female subject and her object, the viewer and the painting, and ultimately, the artist and himself.
De Campos was born in Portugal in 1969. This show will run concurrently with an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He has received grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council and The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation. His work has been reviewed in Artforum in 2000 and 2001 and Art in America in 2001.
Image: Nuno de Campos, Trip #2, Tempera on Panel, 12 x 12", 2002
Opening: April 12th, 2003, 6 to 8PM
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11-6
For further information, contact Zach Feuer at 212 989 7700
LFL Gallery is located at 530 W24th Street, NY NY 10011
t. 212 989 7700