"The Family Jewels" and "Dorian, the Wallpaper Collection" Exhibitions
Stephan Stoyanov Gallery
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Stephan Stoyanov Gallery presents "The Family Jewels", Hannah Barrett's series of paintings and drawings depicting a hermaphrodite master race; and "Dorian, the Wallpaper Collection", Michelle Handelman's selection of ambient video loops from Dorian, a Cinematic Perfume, a project based on Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
In The Family Jewels, small Cranach-like icons portray an omnisexual elite enjoying their leisure in a fantasy realm reminiscent of William S. Burroughs'. Barrett creates an alternative pantheon by fusing the bodies of Hitler and Queen Elizabeth, ultimate symbols of blood-based superiority, and placing them in understated, highly charged settings. To accompany her first solo New York show, Barrett invites 2011 Guggenheim Fellow Michelle Handelman to exhibit photographs and videos from her acclaimed parable of decadence and narcissism, Dorian, a Cinematic Perfume. In this video installation characters and musicians of the underground '80s club scene act out the extremes of youthful beauty and aging decomposition as symbolized by Dorian Gray's secretly blistering portrait. Dorian exists as a contemporary celebrity, destroyed by a vacant ambition.
While Barrett paints in oil and gold leaf on panel, and Handelman shoots in high definition video, both create a cast of morally and sexually ambiguous characters engaged in exclusive and rarified power games and rituals. Handelman's lush glamour and Barrett's meticulous craftsmanship conspire to reveal pristine surfaces that are shattered by conflicted emotions and dark history.
[Image: "Dead Dorian" from Dorian by Michelle Handelman / "The Bread of Future Generations" by Hannah Barrett]
Media
Schedule
from January 15, 2012 to February 19, 2012
Artists Talk: Sunday, February 12, 4-5pm
Opening Reception on 2012-01-15 from 18:00 to 20:00