bG Gallery presents “Island Girls,” a group show curated by Shaye Nelson and Nancy Larrew.
“No man may be an island, but in the art w
orld, a woman often is.” The exhibition features works by women exploring solitude: Paradise or Isolation?
See image: Michelle Lilly, Self Portrait with Sea Urchin
Historically artists have relieved long hours of isolation in the company of their peers. The Ashcan School, the School of Paris and New York’s mass of Post-War Abstract Expressionists are all examples of such camaraderie. But few, if any, women artists are found in the photos, records and collections relating to these movements.
Excluded from the society of their male counterparts, women artists can find their work dismissed as an avocation, a hobby, a squandering of time. Marriage, motherhood and society’s expectations might exhaust creative energy or worse, stifle it. Just like other working women, female artists can feel compelled to choose between family and career.
No matter what path the female artist chooses, when she ventures out of the confinement of her studio to artists’ gatherings, galleries and museums, she will frequently find herself alone in a sea of men.
The works these women create suggest a range of emotions in response to their position: anger, contentment, defiance, detached amusement and quiet introspection. Every work a message in a bottle from an Island Girl.
See image: Sarah Steiber, what The Duck, acrylic on canvas
Artists include: Wangechi Mutu, Sue Wong, Madam X, Cathy Weiss, Linda Vallejo, Kristine Schomaker, Megan Whitmarsh, Sarah Stieber, Linda Smith, Erin Reiter, Courtney Reid, Gay Summer Rick, Allie Pohl, Trinity Martin, Nancy Larrew, Michelle Lilly, Mia Loucks, Kate Jackson, Brenda Jamrus, Simone Gad, Carol Friedman, MK Decca, Wini Brewer, Terri Berman, Nora Berman, and Sofia Arreguin.
Gallery hours are: Tuesday-Saturday 11:30am-6pm. Call Gallery for Sunday hours
On view: June 13 – July 3
What: Art Ejxhibition – on view
Where: bG Gallery at Bergamot Station 2525, Michigan Avenue, Space G8A, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: 310-906-4211
Website: bgArtGalleries.com
