Rafael Perez "Selections from the Dangerous Women Series"
DFN Gallery
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Shifting between tense, atmospheric oil paintings of ordinary dangerous women and subtle, compelling watercolors of female soldiers, Perez critiques traditional female forms and archetypes. Perez is fascinated by the idea of "mundane evil," and his paintings expose the anxious, ominous underpinnings of traditional domestic situations. His women often seem poised motionless in the midst of suspicious surroundings. In "House Fire," a woman sits and placidly sips a drink in her lawn chair as she watches her house go up in flames. The topless subject of "Badminton Player" considers her self-satisfied reflection as she lights up a pre- or post-match cigarette. Has she done the deed or is she plotting? Despite their stillness, these women often seem to be "caught in the act." Perez calls them "the generic sirens of everyday life." He frames his paintings as crime scenes; "the exact circumstances of each crime or wrong-doing are ambiguous; the clues are mysterious. I want the viewers to invent stories and draw their own conclusions." This open-ended quality of Perez's work draws us into the strange, mysterious worlds of these dangerous women and leaves us feeling unsettled by what we have seen.
[Image: Rafael Perez "House Fire" (2008) oil on linen 30 x 36 in.]
Media
Schedule
from October 30, 2008 to November 29, 2008