June 17, 2011
FIVE DAY EXHIBIT
NATHALIE GRICE & KARA WILLIAMS
JUNE 17 – 23, 2011
VERNISSAGE: June 17, 2011 / 7-10pm
Tunes by Big Mac Daddy
Proudly sponsored by CKCU 93.1 FM
Pretty Things / Nathalie Grice
Through the meticulous work of cleaning fractured skulls left from roadkill, sewing lacey materials and handling tiny frail bones of small animals, my sculptures became a very intuitively creative process. I was given the freedom to explore my interest in the world of Burlesque and evoke its spirit through the symbolism of animals. – Nathalie Grice, 2011
Bloody Brides and Whiteface Widows / Kara Williams
This series plays with images of female characters in mythology, my own invented and synthesized archetypes (such as the brides, widows and whiteface figures) and Grimm’s fairy tales. Elements of ancient stories blend with Jungian analysis when the self-portrait meets these figures. I am often asked why I use the self-portrait as a centerpiece to my oeuvre, and it is because I feel that what is intimate has meaning and strength. The images invite the viewer to partake of their own psycho-spiritual journey through the eyes of the artist.
Thisexhibition retells familiar and obscure myths from the feminine perspective, froman empowered point of view.The women often appear to seek wisdom, and the very least, they are what they are, imperfect beings, not an empty stereotype. The images explore the power of the feminine in myriad forms, both sensual and self-possessed.
The power of the Isis and Osiris story has long captivated me; sister and brother God and Goddess of Egypt, they are mirrored darkly by gods of deception and violence who killed Osiris twice, but both times he was resurrected by his partner, Isis. The first time she rescued him from a tree and incanted through magic and sexuality the life force from his inert body, the second time she saved him by searching the land for years, far and wide for the missing pieces of him that were scattered by his jealous brother. From a feminist perspective, it is an early tale of feminine strength and love, a harmony of opposites in one Goddess, as she was both strong and loving. Viewed in the Jungian fashion, the story isthe retrieval of parts of oneself, fragmented parts of a soul brought together again.
The theme of this group of paintings is regeneration through transformation. These paintings hint at the alchemy of union not of individuals, but of elements of the Self and the agony of separation through these images of brides and widows. From the mythical point of view, the spirit feels the pain of separation of the one divided into the many. Life is bound warp and woof to death, and death can be liberation.
The whiteface figures are about identity and eradication of identity, about the preconceived notions about what the feminine ideal is (interchangeable, passive and blank) the sexualized feminine image at odds with the true inner sexual energy and power. These figures strike me as both sad and strong, their sexuality defines them and their masks strip them of identity. They are the archetype of the sexual self, innocence in process of being corrupted. Other featured figures include Little Red Riding Hood, Lot’s Wife, Eve, Eurydice, Bluebeard’s Wives, and the Girl with Silver Hands. – Kara Williams
