One of my favorite galleries in Chelsea, De Buck Gallery recent opened another smashing exhibit entitled "America's Sweetheart" by Los Angeles based artist Kelly Reemtsen. The gallery never disappoints with edgy, interesting shows and this is no exception. This is Reemtsen’s premier exhibition at the gallery which also accompanied by the launch of a new catalogue of her work, entitled “I’m Falling.” The exhibition will be on view through December 21, 2013 located at 545 W. 23rd Street in Chelsea.
You'll know you are in the right place upon approaching the gallery window with softly floating pill sculptures. Than larger than life pastel pills - Xanax, Prozac, Advil, and others – come to resemble candy, but like the women may hold darker hidden meanings despite their cheerful appearances. Reemtsen specifically uses pills that are often taken by women, making medication as much an accessory of a fluid idea of womanhood as hoses, shovels or oven mitts.
Elegant women dressed in vintage finds and armed with tools and common household items, Reemtsen’s paintings create a paradoxically edgy air of nostalgia. There exists a sharp contrast in much of Reemtsen’s work between the bright and cheery figures, and the utilitarian and sometimes ominous accessories they carry, such as chainsaws or axes, coupled with a recurring headless anonymity. Who doesn't love that?! Reemtsen’s accessorizing of her figures, with objects, clothing, titles and even the blank palettes provided by the heavy white impasto of her backgrounds, serve to highlight the coexistence of traditional femininity and strength in the modern identity of women.
Have a look....
More from the gallery; "Kelly Reemtsen, who lives and works in Los Angeles, studied Fashion Design, an area that clearly resonates in her work today, as well as painting at Central Michigan University and California State University Long Beach. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and is included in many collections including the corporate collections of 20th Century Fox (Los Angeles) and Bon Appetite (San Francisco).
