KM Fine Arts is pleased to present ZUGZWANG, a solo exhibition of new paintings and mixed media works by Dana Louise Kirkpatrick, on view from November 8, 2014 to January 17, 2015 at the gallery's West Hollywood location at 814 North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90069. An opening reception will be held onSaturday, November 8 from 7-10 pm.
An avid reader of Dante, Shakespeare, and Toni Morrison, Dana Louise Kirkpatrick's paintings reference literature as well as elements of Modern art-in particular German and Neo-Expressionism. The title of the exhibition, "Zugzwang," refers to an inescapable move in chess, one with damaging personal effect. Many of the figures in Kirkpatrick's work are often surreal depictions of the artist herself. Her work and confessional visual language, inspired and influenced by confessional artists Louise Bourgeois and Tracey Emin, grows from her fascination with, and empathy for, the constant existential duel between the isolated individual and the shared awareness of the group. As critic Doug McClemont writes in "Drawing Out Dignity: Poetry and Justice in the Work of Dana Louise Kirkpatrick," his essay for the catalog accompanying the exhibition, "Dana Louise Kirkpatrick empathizes with mankind. She goes down the rabbit hole and comes up with clues as to what it means to be human. In depicting our collective experiences-from disappointment to elation-the artist amasses universal truths. Fearlessly, she gives them form. To experience a painting by the artist is to witness the essence of things."McClemont continues: "Kirkpatrick's painterly works are handsome, gritty, passionate, and resolutely hopeful. The artist is an alchemist who presents symbols and figures that resound with a kind of effortless defiance. Primitive, Picassco-esque visages bleed and bray. A bull, with its fleshy tongue in the air, seems blissfully unaware as arrows come toward him. A doll can only be howling, his mouth a black void, arms outstretched. Sonny Liston takes a punch in the ring from Muhammad Ali and hovers a foot above the bottom edge of the canvas. An angel hangs upside down, its tarnished halo still attached. Life, it would appear, is a battle to maintain one's self-esteem. And Kirkpatrick's characters succeed despite the odds. From Boxers to Batman, Mammies to Mona Lisa, Hell's Angels to harlots, Kirkpatrick's paintings are inhabited by dogged, dog-eared characters, drawn with dignity. They've found their torment. They're aristocrats."
DATES + TIMES
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 8, 7-10pm
Exhibition Dates + Hours: November 8 - January 17, 2015; Tuesday - Saturday, 11am-6pm
LOCATION
KM Fine Arts Los Angeles
814 North La Cienega
Los Angeles, CA 90069
About Dana Louise Kirkpatrick
Dana Louise Kirkpatrick was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1976. She was raised in Washington, D.C. and studied Fine Arts at Georgetown University, graduating with honors in 2001. While attending the university, she received the DaVinci Medal for Excellence in Studio Art and the Misty Dailey Award for Outstanding Work in Studio Art.
Photo Credit: Cesar's Palace Goodnight Miss Bye Sir, 2014, Pastel, charcoal, graphite, and house paint on unstretched canvas, 57 x 36 in. / 144.8 x 91.4 cm
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