Hello!

I'm going to have a reception on Tuesday at the Rice Media Center, Rice University Entrance 8, off of University Blvd. I'm exhibiting works from my Human Condition series.  The reception is this coming Tuesday, 29th of September, from 5 to 8 PM.  Please come along if you are free, and bring your friends. There will be light refreshments.

Here's a link to the press release:
http://events.rice.edu/index.cfm?EventRecord=12270&month=09-24-2009&week=09-20-2009&day=09-25-2009&action=day

Have a wonderful day!
Anna




Press release:
The Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts announces an exhibition of paintings by Russian artist Anna Ataeva (www.annaataeva.com). Invited to exhibit by Assistant Professor of Art and Studio Program Director, Christopher Sperandio, Ms. Ataeva will exhibit recent works from her Human Condition series at the Rice Media Center on the campus of Rice University. 

Born in Moscow, Russia in 1980, Ms. Ataeva received a Master's degree from the Moscow State Academic V.I. Surikov Art Institute, the nation's top art school.  She continued her education at the Ilya Kabakov Studio. Ms. Ataeva arrived in Houston five years ago and quickly established her studio practice here. Her works are in collections found all over the world including London, Brussels, Moscow, Paris, as well as here in Houston.

In Ms. Ataeva's Human Condition works on display, distorted human figures writhe in atmospheric spaces.  Gruesome and oddly sexual, the sometimes headless torsos grapple with each other in compositions that are equal parts torture and orgy. Painted almost exclusively with palette knives, the thickly impastoed oil paintings have a near sculptural quality.  Ataeva was rigorously trained in plastic anatomy, and spent an average of thirty hours each week for five years studying the nude model.  Ms. Ataeva cites a number of important influences, from her Russian colleague Konstantin Sheiko, to artists such as Egon Schiele and Nicolai Fechin.

"One fascinating aspect of Anna's work," says Sperandio, "is her control over the tonal quality of the paint. Colors lie next to each other in sometimes quite surprising ways, yet the works hold together because of her manipulation of the painting's lights and shadows. The chance to see her works is a terrific opportunity for both the Rice community and the arts community in Houston."  

Works from the Human Condition will be on view in the Main Gallery at the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts in the Rice Media Center through September 30, and will move to the Media Center Project Gallery, remaining on view until October 30.  There will be a public reception held at the gallery from 5 to 8PM on September 29, 2009.

About the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts:
The Rice Media Center was founded in 1969 by international art patrons Jean and Dominique de Menil and performed as a haven for avant-garde art in Houston for 40 years. The department has played host to an impressive roster of artists such as Max Ernst and Andy Warhol, as well as famous film directors too numerous to mention. Now home to the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts, the Rice Media center houses an impressive cinema, as well as editing and photography studios. The Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts at Rice University is currently undergoing a reboot, with a new curriculum and a strong desire to contribute to the ever-blossoming Houston contemporary art scene.  Find out more at http://www.arts.rice.edu.



      


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