Annie Kevans "Manumission"
Perry Rubenstein Gallery (527 West 23rd Street)
This event has ended.
The title of the exhibition is Manumission, a term with a complex history. Manumission refers specifically to a slave owner's ability or discretion to free a slave. That power, in the hands of the men that wielded it, is the same power exercised by the philanderer in the choosing and the dismissal of his mistress.
The paintings in this exhibition are all portraits; most depict the illegitimate children of various Presidents of the United States, others their mistresses. Many of these figures, such as Sally Hemings and Grace Kelly, are well known. Others are considerably less so, and even less so are their children. Through this series of portraits, Kevans explores the representation of power, the lack thereof, and its manipulation in the hands of those who posses it. Having an affinity for the marginalized, Kevans paints figures overlooked, exploited, or objectified within the context of history or contemporary culture, imbuing her subjects with a tangible humanity and sensuality.
Kevans' wide-eyed rendition of William Beverly Hemings conveys an innocence that arrests its viewer, yet exposes dark themes that belie its surface. William, the son of Sally Hemings, is believed to have been fathered by Thomas Jefferson. With William's startled and seemingly innocuous gaze, Kevans alludes to the injustice and hypocrisy perpetrated by one of the most revered figures in American History.
Kevans looks to historical texts, illustrations, or photographs for source material, when possible. Yet as is often the case with figures that have been all but forgotten or perhaps deliberately omitted from history, she visualizes characters by borrowing features from life models. In effect, lending a face to the faceless and casting light on issues that are uncomfortable and thus ignored.
Implementing loose brushwork and layers of translucent oil paint, Kevans paints her subjects in a manner so elegant and subtle that she allows the character of both the medium and the subject to speak for themselves. Given their rich individual histories, the manifestations of these characters are as incredible as the feat of their rendering.
[Image: Annie Kevans "William Beverly Hemings in Brown (All the Presidents' Girls)" (2010), Oil on canvas paper, 20 x 14 15/16 in.]
Media
Schedule
from February 12, 2010 to March 16, 2010
Opening Reception on 2010-02-11 from 18:00 to 20:00