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The works on view in this exhibition occupy both levels of the gallery - McAndrew will debut nine new paintings and seven new watercolors as a continued exploration of transposing women within the discourse of art-historical portraiture.
With this body of work, McAndrew explores the significance for a woman to create her own safe haven and to invite someone to share that space. The artist was inspired by British “Conversation Pieces”, a sub-genre of 18th and 19th century European portraiture colloquially known as “gossip paintings”. These paintings, all painted by men, depicted groups of women in domestic spaces engaged in lighthearted moments of chatter and camaraderie.
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Elise and Leah, 2020
acrylic on canvas, 68 x 52 1/4 in (172.7 x 132.7 cm)In “Elise and Leah” (2020), McAndrew portrays a pair of best friends in a similar pose to Guglielmo Zocchi’s (Italian, b. 1874) "A Good Read", but instead shows an intimate moment of rest and solidarity between the women.
In “A Good Read”, two women are seen perusing a small book, both gossiping about its contents. Though these exchanges at the time were deemed shallow, McAndrew sees them as sacred opportunities for women to form deep connections amongst themselves.
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A Good Read
Guglielmo Zocchi (1874 - 1932)Visually representing a sense of extended kinship, the Conversation Piece developed the ways in which the genre memorialized bonds and relationships through themes of conviviality and societal aesthetics. Although Conversation Pieces exemplify that repartee played a fundamental role in fostering a warm atmosphere of affection and hospitality, the genre often depicted women engaging in superfluous activities with one-another for the sake of frivolity.
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Ayo and Anina, 2020
acrylic on canvas, 76 x 58 in (193 x 147.3 cm)"Modeled by real women, the images are enormously eye-catching with their colours, contrasts, and framing. While the women stand profoundly in the spotlight, obviously the focus of the piece, we find ourselves equally fascinated by the background details of the paintings. These details indicate the lives of the women; brining over and quietly complex. "
- Elephant Magazine
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Lily, 2020-21
acrylic on canvas, 71 3/4 x 48 in (182.2 x 121.9 cm)McAndrew’s process involves a long line of women responding to historical portrayals of women created by men. The artist employs digital collage as a means of preparation for the work. She initiates this process by sending her subject an image of herself recreating an art historical pose, along with a reference photo of the piece. The subject then photographs herself replicating the pose, and McAndrew creates the painting from the image provided.
This process of art making becomes a game of “art-historical telephone” in which women are depicted true to how they exist in the world. By positioning these women within the broader art historical context, McAndrew subverts traditional objectified conventions of femininity employed by European male artists over the course of art history.
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"I wanted to think about what it means for a woman not only to have and create her own safe space, but what it would mean to let someone in to share that space? The pandemic certainly heightened the stakes on this idea of shared space. So many families and friends have been separated, so painting these moments together took on a heightened poignancy, whether the moment was a lived experience or a stitched together fantasy."
-Shona McAndrew
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Katie, 2020
acrylic on canvas, 50 x 66 1/4 in (127 x 168.3 cm)Traditionally, Conversation Pieces were rooted in notions of social preformativity, McAndrew however, is concerned with capturing the sentiment and sacred nature of these intimate exchanges that extend beyond the parameters of the scene depicted. This can be seen in the subtle notion of the second coffee cup present in the scene, alluding to the presence of another person existing outside the constraints of the painting, but yet within the space itself.
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"Shona's recent work is a non-hierarchical collaboration between artist and subject, one that isn't charged with old notions of power, but allows the sitter a new freedom of expression."
- Andrea Glimcher, Founder, Hyphen
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Geena and Lauren, 2021
acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40 in (127 x 101.6 cm) -
Moira and Shona, 2021
acrylic on canvas, 60 x 50 in (152.4 x 127 cm) -
In the works containing multiple subjects, McAndrew asks the women to invite another woman of their choosing to pose alongside them. Just as the Conversation Piece served as a modern mode of portraiture in the eighteenth century, McAndrew’s work is equally as innovative in re-establishing contemporary contexts and upending perceptions of how, and with whom women should occupy their spaces.
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Priyanka, Vidushi and Ananya, 2021
acrylic on canvas, 44 x 60 in (111.8 x 152.4 cm) -
“Thrice removed from their art-historical sources and depicting a diverse selection of bodies (many of them tattooed) in intimate surroundings, McAndrew’s compositions transform the female muse from a hide-out cliché into a vibrant figure of autonomy.”
-Johanna Fatemen, The New Yorker
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Vikki, Kelsey and Erica, 2020-21
acrylic on canvas, 92 x 70 in (233.7 x 177.8 cm) -
Iyvon, 2021
acrylic on canvas, 48 x 46 in (121.9 x 116.8 cm) -
This exhibition will debut a series of seven new watercolors. McAndrew’s art practice initaly began with watercolor works - these ideas subsequently emerged as sculptures, then as paintings on canvas. Watercolor serves as the artists most intuitive medium, providing her with a means to quickly move through thoughts and ideas. Whereas the large-scale acrylic paintings come to fruition over a greater span of time, the immediacy in which these works are completed offers a sense of excitement and relief.
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Shona McAndrew (b. 1990) was born in Paris and lives and works in Philadelphia. She holds an MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA in Psychology and Painting from Brandeis University. She currently has a solo exhibition, Wednesday Night, on view at Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts at UAB, Birmingham, AL (2021), which traveled from Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA (2020). Previous solo exhibitions include CHART, New York, NY (2019); and Spring/Break Art Show, New York, NY (2019). In May, she will debut a new sculptural installation at Art Omi in Ghent, NY.
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CHECKLIST
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Elise and Leah, 2021acrylic on canvas68 x 52 1/4 in (172.7 x 132.7 cm)
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Katie, 2020acrylic on canvas50 x 66 1/4 in (127 x 168.3 cm)
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Ayo and Anina, 2020acrylic on canvas76 x 58 in (193 x 147.3 cm)
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Lily, 2020-21acrylic on canvas71 3/4 x 48 in (182.2 x 121.9 cm)
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Priyanka, Vidushi and Ananya, 2021acrylic on canvas44 x 60 in ( 111.8 x 152.4 cm)
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Geena and Lauren, 2021acrylic on canvas50 x 40 in (127 x 101.6 cm)
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Vikki, Kelsey, and Erica, 2020-21acrylic on canvas92 x 70 in (233.7 x 177.8 cm)
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Iyvon, 2021acrylic on canvas48 x 46 in (121.9 x 116.8 cm)
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Moira and Shona, 2021acrylic on canvas60 x 50 in (152.4 x 127 cm)
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Anina, 2021watercolor on paper20 x 14 in (50.8 x 35.6 cm)
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Lauren, 2020watercolor on paper24 1/2 x 20 1/2 in (62.2 x 52.1 cm)
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Katie, 2021watercolor on paper25 1/2 x 20 1/2 in (64.8 x 52.1 cm)
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Shona McAndrew: Haven
Current viewing_room