Julia Rommel
27 Jan - 12 Mar 2016
JULIA ROMMEL
A Cheesecake With Your Name On It
27 January - 12 March 2016
I've been kicking around this title for my show in LA: "A Cheesecake With Your Name On It." I liked the plushness of it, a strong visual, but I wasn’t thinking about the origin. Then I remembered this actually comes from you, that terrible final exchange you had with what’s his name, when you told him you made a cheesecake with his name on it. Did he ever reply? Remembering the story freaked me out at first, but now I think it's kind of powerful. The value of putting a great effort into something, even if it's embarrassing or doesn't work out short term, how it defines you and is all evident in the final (beautiful?) story. This of course is about my paintings–- which I keep putting greater and greater effort into. And extreme effort, you know, it's controversial, not always attractive and not always helpful to a work of art. I’ve been finding some relief in my studio habits, and tools–- a few crafty obstructions, which might cut the glare of having tried too hard, and add traction for my more cavalier, effortless energies. But it’s always about killing those habits too. Letting that threat of embarrassment stick around for a bit longer. I mean, I’ve been thinking about all of our susceptible efforts... which, if painful at the time, add up to something forceful. At least, I feel that way about your efforts toward romance. You have some regrets, but everything you did made you who you are, which is a powerful person, and I even think the aggression and vulnerability of your pursuits were really powerful. - JR, January 2016
Julia Rommel (b. 1980, Salisbury, MD) lives and works in New York. Rommel received her MFA from American University in Washington, DC. Rommel’s first solo museum exhibition is currently on view at The Aldrich Museum in Connecticut. Recent solo exhibitions include “The Little Matchstick” at Bureau in New York (2014), “Girl with Silver Rings” at Sorry We’re Closed in Brussels (2014), “Mother Superior” at Gaudel de Stampa in Paris (2013), and “Delaware” at Bureau in New York (2012). Rommel has been included in group exhibitions at the Flag Foundation in New York, White Flag Projects in St Louis, T293 in Naples, and Greene Naftali in New York among others. Rommel’s work was presented at Art Basel Statements this past June with an accompanying artist book published by Bureau in New York. Rommel’s work is included in public collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition at the gallery.
A Cheesecake With Your Name On It
27 January - 12 March 2016
I've been kicking around this title for my show in LA: "A Cheesecake With Your Name On It." I liked the plushness of it, a strong visual, but I wasn’t thinking about the origin. Then I remembered this actually comes from you, that terrible final exchange you had with what’s his name, when you told him you made a cheesecake with his name on it. Did he ever reply? Remembering the story freaked me out at first, but now I think it's kind of powerful. The value of putting a great effort into something, even if it's embarrassing or doesn't work out short term, how it defines you and is all evident in the final (beautiful?) story. This of course is about my paintings–- which I keep putting greater and greater effort into. And extreme effort, you know, it's controversial, not always attractive and not always helpful to a work of art. I’ve been finding some relief in my studio habits, and tools–- a few crafty obstructions, which might cut the glare of having tried too hard, and add traction for my more cavalier, effortless energies. But it’s always about killing those habits too. Letting that threat of embarrassment stick around for a bit longer. I mean, I’ve been thinking about all of our susceptible efforts... which, if painful at the time, add up to something forceful. At least, I feel that way about your efforts toward romance. You have some regrets, but everything you did made you who you are, which is a powerful person, and I even think the aggression and vulnerability of your pursuits were really powerful. - JR, January 2016
Julia Rommel (b. 1980, Salisbury, MD) lives and works in New York. Rommel received her MFA from American University in Washington, DC. Rommel’s first solo museum exhibition is currently on view at The Aldrich Museum in Connecticut. Recent solo exhibitions include “The Little Matchstick” at Bureau in New York (2014), “Girl with Silver Rings” at Sorry We’re Closed in Brussels (2014), “Mother Superior” at Gaudel de Stampa in Paris (2013), and “Delaware” at Bureau in New York (2012). Rommel has been included in group exhibitions at the Flag Foundation in New York, White Flag Projects in St Louis, T293 in Naples, and Greene Naftali in New York among others. Rommel’s work was presented at Art Basel Statements this past June with an accompanying artist book published by Bureau in New York. Rommel’s work is included in public collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition at the gallery.