| |
New
York, NY (November, 2009): Black & White Gallery
is very pleased to present Busts - the dynamic
and thought provoking exhibition by the New York based
artist Elia Alba.
The exhibition features 30 busts placed on pedestals
to emulate a presentation of classical art and artifacts.
Alba transformed unique photographs she took of her
close family and friends into life size head and chest
sculptures. Utilizing her typical manipulation of photography,
fabric, and portraiture, Elia Alba’s latest series,
Busts, removes all of these elements from their
usual 2-D existence and creates 3-D sculptures that
convey both the materiality of the medium and the humanity
of the subjects. Each bust stares at the viewer, some
forlorn and serious, others smirking knowingly. Some
busts stand alone and resolute, such as Catlin,
whose hair covers much of the bust, while other busts
stand in relation to themselves, as in Two Cacys,
where Alba duplicated one person in order to shine a
light on his dual nature. Whereas in previous bodies
of work, Alba has attempted to obfuscate race, gender,
and identity with masks and staging, with Busts,
Alba reveals her subjects’ true personas.
Elia Alba (*1962) is a multi-media artist whose work
has been exhibited and screened at various national
and international institutions, including Yerba Buena
Center for the Arts; El Museo del Barrio; The RISD Museum;
Valencia Institute of Modern Art, IVAM, Spain; Stedelijk
Museum, Amsterdam; ARCO, Madrid; Jersey City Museum;
Science Museum, London; and ITAU Cultural Institute,
Sao Paolo, Brazil, and most recently the 10th Havana
Biennial. Her awards have included the Whitney Museum
Van Lier Foundation Fellowship 2001; Studio Museum in
Harlem, Artist in Residence Fellowship Program (1998-1999),
New York Foundation for the Arts Grant (Crafts 2002
and Photography 2008); Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant
(2002) and Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant (2002 and
2008). Her work has been reviewed in the Art Nexus,
The Guardian, Time Out, FlashArt, Tema Celeste and The
New York Times. Ms. Alba received her Bachelor of Arts
(Specials Honors Curriculum) from Hunter College in
1994 where she graduated magna cum laude and completed
the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program in 2001.
Elia Alba lives and works in Queens, NY
Image:
Busts (Catlin), 2009
photo transfer on fabric, acrylic, thread, metal armature,
life size
Click
on image for more information.
To request hi-res images, please contact the gallery:
info@blackandwhiteartgallery.com
|
