Wilding Cran Gallery participates in Gallery Weekend with a closing art party for Francesca Gabbiani Mutations. The event takes place on July 29, 2023 from 6-8pm. This solo exhibition spotlights the artist’s material explorations of Southern California and the vulnerable narrative of paradise consumed.
Francesca Gabbiani Mutations
Drawing inspiration from her experience living in Los Angeles, Francesca Gabbiani has been captivated by the phenomena and mythology of wildfires, returning to them over and over in an effort to dissect their psychological impact upon our social, environmental, and emotional landscapes. Towing the fine line between enchantment and trepidation, Gabbiani’s intricate, labor-intensive collages evoke the fragility of the paper medium and the artist’s devotional attention to beauty, while addressing the pervasive anxiety of climate disaster.
Throughout the exhibition, the image of the palm tree stands out as an icon of Gabbiani’s oeuvre. Despite the fact that most palm tree species are non-native to Southern California, they still have become synonymous. Therefore their historic importation into the region led to the mythic construction of a new Eden on the Pacific, a sheltered dreamscape of leisure and endless summer. Within Hot Panorama II, 2022, two palms stand as beacons, aglow in flames against a backdrop of billowing smoke and ash. Despite the enticing hues of orange, yellow, red, green, and hot white, the scene captures a precarious moment. Thus granting the viewer time to embrace the allure – and fear – of the unknown.
Francesca Gabbiani, Hot Panorama III, 2022, Ink, gouache, acrylic, and colored paper on paper, 60 1/4 x 80 inches (153 x 203 cm)
About Francesca Gabbiani
Francesca Gabbiani (b. 1965, Montreal, Canada) creates depictions of overlooked landscapes, where nature and urbanization collide in their true anarchic state. Combining intricately layered cut paper, mixed media washes, and airbrush, Gabbiani’s paper paintings pair literary influences with her own photographic documentation of environments in disastrous, damaged, and regenerative states. Reminiscent of settings in science fiction, her philosophical approach depicts humanity secondary to the omnipresent force of Mother Nature.
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On view: June 29 – July 29, 2023
What: Francesca Gabbiani Mutations
Where: Wilding Cran Gallery, 1700 South Santa Fe Ave, Unit 460, LA, 90021
When: July 29, 2023, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Website: https://wildingcran.com/
