"Jacklighting"

January 27, 2020

French artist Anne-Charlotte Finel presents Jacklighting at The Chimney for her first solo show in the US. Referring to the nocturnal hunting practice of shining bright lights throughout dark fields in order to momentarily stun animals, Jacklighting proves itself both weird and wonderful. Finel's work, focused on spaces affected by unnatural lighting systems, is composed of four reels. And with each video being manipulated both digitally and physically, the story from viewer to viewer may be rather ambiguous.

In Triste Champignonniste (Sad Mushroom Farmer), 2017, Finel films a mushroom farm in a former underground gypsum quarry—although it may look more like the ground for a nuclear bomb shelter as bursting shapes and foggy landscapes are cast upon a pink velvet backdrop. Only upon closer inspection may one gradually discern the actual rotting of elements played upon the deteriorating pixels of the film for a versatile look on decomposition.

As is the case with all of the show’s remaining components, nothing is quite as it seems in Jacklighting. The rhythm of the subjects and the landscapes of the environment speak to the title’s permanent state through the relationship between man and nature, attesting to Finel’s expertise in observing the unordinary and inclination to search for truth in the otherwise vastly unseen.

Text by Caroline Brown
Photos courtesy of The Chimney and the artist; Photography by Reggie Shiobara

Jacklighting is on view at The Chimney until February 23, 2020.

Art

Julian Schnabel: New Plate Paintings

March 12, 2017

The Pace Gallery presents Julian Schnabel: New Plate Paintings. Inspired by the roses growing in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, these works celebrate the artist's first solo show since his return to the gallery.

In 1987, Schnabel published CVJ: Nicknames of Maître D’s and Other Experts from Life, which included an excerpt from his notes from 1978 where he reflected on his thought process for his first plate paintings: “The plates seemed to have a sound, the sound of every violent human tragedy, an anthropomorphic sense of things being smeared and thrown…I wanted to make something that was exploding as much as I wanted to make something that was cohesive.” The artist continues to fragment the plates, but rather than using them to disrupt the picture plane, he incorporates each piece to create a homogeneous surface that recalls the rhythm of nature.

New Plate Paintings will be on view till March 25, 2017.

All photos taken by Jiafei Li

Art

A spaghetti and meatballs party at 'Toiletpaper Paradise'

In accordance with Toiletpaper’s spaghetti pattern, which covers one of the installation’s walls, the party was filled with pasta. It spilled out of the oven and pans and even a teapot, completely covering a kitchen table. People kept grabbing it to take selfies, and it accidentally went in a lot of mouths (there was also fresh, non-art spaghetti and meatballs being passed around). People were taking pictures everywhere—the bedroom, the bathroom, the bar. It was Instagram heaven.

Scroll through the pics below.

Images by Benjamin Lozovsky/BFA.com

Art

You make me wanna puke flowers

Anyways, all that lead to the “Romantic Novel” series, including "You make me wanna puke flowers," which numbers around 40 drawings (all numbered and dated). It’s pretty much a visual diary of my 2015. At the end of 2016, I realized I was still haunted by the idea of feeling that intense, so I decided to bring the series full circle, and make photo self-portraits inspired by self-portrait drawings. I see it as a cleanse, and I needed that final touch to know it was complete. Images are not exact copies for a reason; in emotions everything is so chaotic (at least for me) so it didn't feel right to make organized material and copy a painting in photograph.

Working on the series was an emotional roller-coaster. It was an incredibly sensitive feeling to share those first drawings with the world (let alone that I had never painted before, and there’s a whole other layer when it comes feeling shy in starting new creative things). These are really close to my heart.

Drain your feelings into art, people.

I shared the most intimate thoughts with "faceless" followers, and I hoped to not be judged on the technique. I still relate the most to "You make me wanna puke flowers" and "Hosting feelings,” where a dinosaur party takes control of my insides—that’s exactly how it felt.

Emotions are a beautiful thing, and putting this project out there taught me a lot—that it takes balls to share your personal life with the public, but also that it’s so encouraging. You open the door to conversations, and through your art you become more human in an internet-obsessed world. I want to share my personality, moods, and sense of humor through my work. Right now I'm working on series inspired by the internet, actually, but I'm very curious to see if and/or when it’s time for another chapter of "Romantic Novel," and how it’s going to be different because I’m not involved with the same person. Drain your feelings into art, people. That’s the most powerful circle of energy.

Check out our previous piece on Ira here.