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Indepth Arts News:
"Bending: A Solo Show of Work by April Bending"
2008-12-16 until 2008-12-30
Broadway Gallery
New York, NY,
USA United States of America
From December 16 to 30, with an opening reception on December 19th, 6 to 8 p.m the Broadway Gallery in New York, presents "Bending: A Solo Show of Work by April Bending". In the exhibition Bending, the Cayman Islands based artist April Bending presents a selection of her enigmatic sculptural paintings that respond to issues surrounding the human and the human desire for immortality. Broadly composed yet intricately detailed, each painting renders a realistic depiction of the human condition that conveys an atmosphere of confinement and isolation. Presented in a sequence of portraits, scenes, and fossils, Bending forms a narrative that tells a story of everyday existence, mortality, and desire. The juxtaposition of the fragile fish, with the sculpture-like remains, alongside human portraits that stare back at the viewer, emphasizes sentiments of mortality and immortality within her work. April Bending promotes her art with a Free Portfolio at absolutearts.com.
Bending’s work captures moments of tranquility, which contrast with uneasy oneiric elements. She uses unusual color combinations, and depicts scenes from unexpected angles, all contributing to give her work a magic realist feel. In Waiting, a large-scale work in acrylic on canvas, the artist explores the human existence on a subliminal level. Her signature—a monochromatic palette balanced with textural brushstrokes—is a tool the artist utilizes in order to transform the ordinary into something anthropological and poetic. Texture is also important to the artist, Bending uses the surface of the canvas to diffuse light and create variations and ambiguities beneath each layer of paint. Such ambiguities require the viewer to participate in deciphering the piece through personal interpretation, thereby engaging in a personal relationship with the work.
Limiting the palette in order to allow the viewer to focus on the image rather than be distracted by a myriad of colors, Bending creates work that manifests her own personal vision, drawing on a diverse cross-section of cultures and styles to realize her wide range of visual and conceptual ideas. Bending is an intuitive artist who has developed a new and unique contribution to the art and culture of her times. Her own life experiences have been a major influence, releasing her from the usual conventions of art making. The breathtaking result is contemplative, meditative, and sanguine.
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