BUREAU: ART REVIEW
RACHEL LACHOWICZ at
SHOSHANA WAYNE GALLERY
Nov 2 through to Dec 21 2013
A new body of work by a stellar artist is currently on view at
Shoshana Wayne Gallery / Bergamot Station Arts Complex
in Santa Monica California, U.S.A.
For starters, Ms. Lachowicz has been exhibiting artworks at
this art gallery since 1991: rare for an artist of this caliber.
She is the recipient of the coveted John Simon Guggenheim
Fellowship in 2003, has been recognized and written about
in Artforum, lauded by Art Critics Peter Frank & Doug Harvey,
participated in numerous group shows throughout the world,
but heres the clincher, her solo exhibitions have been sparse
in the past ten years, most likely due to her teaching position.
A solo show in 2001, 2005, 2006, 2010 and this exhibition which
is quite frankly, rather fabulous. Specifically the choice of
materials & indeed the Body of Sculptures, which are every
thing one would want from art works in this day and age:
entirely futuristic & fun. Ms Lachowicz is employing plexi-glass
and eyeshadow as well as lipstick wax, plastic glass and pigment.
A sort of Eva Hesse like feminism a la Donald Judd on hyper
speed with much of the inside sexuality and humor one gets
from Bourgeois and O'Keeffe.
There are two types of sculpture here, in the main room, the
future leaning gem like objects incased in plexi-glass and in the
project room a more realistic & classical style with nods to Art
history in the titles, such as 'Pink Lady', a reference to the classic
Gainsborough portrait, in this case, a circumference of bright
red candy apples, stacked accordingly, somewhat translucent.
As well as Untitled (Cotton Candy), consisting of a classic steers
head skull made entirely of hot pink lipstick wax. In the main
room, which steals the show are the afore mentioned future
leaning works. Jewels from an undiscovered planet, science
related ideas and geometric like angles that scream ultra modern
ideas that will most likely leave the audience wondering for
quite some time. It is museum level craftsmanship and work
with a clever use of materials: Eyeshadow ? Ya got me.
Why does art work work ? What makes us like it ? Scale. Form.
Color. Proportion. Angle. And in this case a fierce sense of the
feminine strength of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and good old
sexuality. We may not have a female president yet, but the Art
world has made a place for its female artists and this particular
artist understands exactly what she's doing and where she is
doing it. I mention this aspect only in terms of the material
choices such as lipstick wax and eyeshadow which is perplexing
and at the same time very easy to look at. It is a refreshing
body of work, exciting even.
The center piece of the show is titled Reflex Violet/Blue, is a
wall mounted work and more than any other work resembles
a jewel arrangement. Though even more on the viscerally
salacious side is the smaller sculptures which sit on the ground,
specifically Particle Dispersion : Hex Triple Pink, a sort of hot
punk rock pink which was introduced by The Sex Pistols Album
cover art and later employed in fashion and furniture mixed with
a fluorescent glowing orange. We have seen this color combination
employed recently by painter Yunhee Min earlier this year at The
Veilmetter Gallery in Culver City. We like it. See the cover of
ART ltd. Magazine this season.
Sitting within the various colored sculptures: Pink, Yellow, Green,
Violet, Blue, is the aforementioned eyeshadow which upon first
glance, appears to be made of flour, Baking Soda or Cleanser.
Though, this is not your Mothers sculpture & it is at this particular
juncture that Ms. Lachowicz leaps from the previously mentioned
artists into the realm of the now. Beauty is power. The woman of
today is not necessarily finding power in the kitchen. This new
generation of Feminism is entirely free of that particular paradigm,
but indeed has inherited a new challenge, one that does include
surface, inner and outer beauty, sexuality and objectification.
Suffice it to say that Rachel Lachowicz is an exciting artist to
watch and is entering into a mid career phase that holds all
of the potential and verve one would expect from such a well
plotted career thus far. The paintings are interesting, specifically
the Quantum Dot with Two Electrons, but it is this new body of
sculptures that seem to speak to the modern world rather boldly.
One looks into them, unable to grasp at the powder in the middle.
The final frontier is not necessarily outer space, but inner space.
The mystery of what is inside. The untouchable aspects of self.
The things we can see, but cannot entirely understand. Not only
about ourselves and others, but about life's mystery all itself.
Reviewed by Joshua A. Triliegi / Nov 2 2013
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