Louisa Gagliardi at Open Forum

Artist: Louisa Gagliardi

Exhibition title: Holdings

Venue: Open Forum, Berlin, Germany

Date: April 14 – June 1, 2018

Photography: images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Open Forum, Berlin

Open Forum is happy to present Holdings, an exhibition of new works by Zurich based artist Louisa Gagliardi (b.1989, CH). While figuration and portraiture have always been central to Gagliardi’s practice, in this new body of work, figures and atmospheres morph into one another, simultaneously concealing and revealing.

The works in the exhibition utilize intricately embellished textures, exaggerated scales, in addition to dreamlike lighting. Navigating between digital rendering and painting, Gagliardi first paints using a computer, and then prints the paintings out on vinyl. Finally, she applies several layers of materiality to them, ranging from nail varnish to gel medium. Compositionally, the works blur the lines between interior and exterior, real and surreal.

More specifically, these paintings develop a notion of lust for nature and outdoors, contrasting suggestions of domesticated surroundings. In a broader sense, they conjure images of escape versus entrapment, and the realization of one’s own limitations. These limitations manifest in different forms. On one hand, we are limited by our inability to take the necessary steps to escape restrictions by responsibilities, fear of failure, etc… and on the other hand, we are limited by a fear of disappointment and regret if action is taken and our expectations are not met.

Holdings attempts to embrace and explore this state of inaction.

Louisa Gagliardi, Holdings, opens April 14th, 6-8pm and runs through June 1. For inquiries, please contact Hannes or Nick at hannes@openforum.info or nick@openforum.info – www.openforum.info