Vilma Gold

Alisa Margolis

12 Jan - 12 Feb 2006

ALISA MARGOLIS

Vilma Gold is pleased to present the first London solo exhibition by Alisa Margolis. The exhibition comprises new paintings.

In 2001 Alisa Margolis began a new body of work as an attempt to address the cultural shift of her recent relocation from New York to Amsterdam. The historical works that fill Holland's museums and in particular traditional 17th century Dutch flower painting informed the works that resulted from this move.
Alisa Margolis' paintings are rooted in impressions of the Baroque and the sublime, namely the Baroque articulation of excess as beauty. Her works explore the potential of the Baroque genre to elevate itself from a decadent state into something not only dazzling, but also expressive of that which is spiritually and conceptually loftier. Her works equally show a seduction for the failure of this attempt as excessive beauty descends into abject decadence.
Margolis' paintings are constructed of multiple layers of poured paint and resin. Their glossy embossed surfaces seem like a cross between Russian enamel serving platters and polished car body panels. This combination of finish and texture allows her paintings to appear as both handcrafted and industrially produced. Margolis constructs her paintings from dark to light using recurring motifs layered over dense black backgrounds. Painting therefore becomes a question of painting light. Margolis' explores contemporary examples of this Baroque technique through the use of abstracted imagery lifted from rock concerts light shows, horror movie special effects and the alchemy of star firmaments.
Alisa Margolis was born in Ukraine and has spent most of her life in New York. Since graduating from the Ateliers Post Graduate, Amsterdam, in 2003 her work has been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally. Most notably at Museum van Loon, Holland, Galerie Diana Stigter, Amsterdam, 2 nd Prague Biennale , Prague, Expander , Royal Academy of Arts, London and Now Is a Good Time, Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York. Alisa Margolis is currently undertaking the International Artists Residency Program at Delfina Studio Trust, London.

Private View: Thursday 12 January 2006, 6.30pm onwards

For further information or images please contact Mark Dickenson on: +44(0) 20 8981 3344 or: mail@vilmagold.com

Open: Thursday - Sunday, 12 - 6pm

© Alisa Margolis
Wednesday Morning II
 

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