Body Double at Maria Bernheim

Artists: Sitara Abuzar Ghaznawi, Mitchell Anderson, Kyle Dunn, Ebecho Muslimova, Denis Savary, Bailey Scieszka, Sarah Slappey, Rico Weber

Exhibition title: Body Double

Venue: Maria Bernheim, Zürich, Switzerland

Date: February 15 – March 31, 2021

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Maria Bernheim

Body Double marks the gallery’s first exhibition in London in their temporary space on Mount Street, thought of as an outpost to engage local audiences during a time of stilted world travel.

This exhibition explores, dissects and reimagines the relationships between culture and the body, looking at form in relation to culture, the role of the body as viewer and subject, and the narrative of context, symbols and objects. By examining societal norms and notions of beauty, the works address preconceived ideas and challenge new perspectives. The bulbous forms of Denis Savary’s glass sculptures hold both abstract and figurative qualities posing only an imagined narrative changing with each viewer’s perspective. Gender and body politics are addressed through the work of Muslimova, whose bold and unapologetic painting confronts societal expectation and refinement. Slappey’s sensual paintings offer an empowering alternate to the objectified female nude and Dunn’s carefully composed reliefs invite the viewer into an intimate narrative that contradicts cultural stereotype. An exploration of narrative can also be seen in the works of Anderson and Ghaznawi, whose work questions what changes when removing objects and symbols from their original context. Looking at what power the context holds over the object and what the object or symbol hold in themselves both political and personal histories come to light. Popular and mass culture, questions of identity and preconceived societal norms are addressed in this group of works, which all look at in equal parts culture’s restraints and its freedom.

Body Double, 2021, exhibition view, Maria Bernheim, Zürich

Sitara Abuzar Ghaznawi, Pillar 2, 2020, Fabric, chain, mixed media and steel, c. 340 x 30 cm, 118 1/8 x 11 3/4 in

Sitara Abuzar Ghaznawi, Pillar 1, 2020, Fabric, chain, mixed media and steel, c. 340 x 30 cm, 118 1/8 x 11 3/4 in

Mitchell Anderson, Join (Man the guns (McClelland Barclay, 1942)), 2020, Neon, glass, 120.9 x 130 cm, 47 5/8 x 51 1/8 in

Kyle Dunn, Pact, 2020, Acrylic on epoxy resin, plaster, and foam panel, 121.9 x 152.4 x 5.1 cm, 48 x 60 x 2 in

Ebecho Muslimova, FATEBE GIFT BASKET, 2020, Oil on canvas, 152.4 x 167.6 cm, 60 x 66 in

Bailey Scieszka, Ms. Viewers Like You (Thank You), 2019, Acrylic, gold leaf, and American dollar bills on linen, 68.6 x 53.3 x 2.5 cm, 27 x 21 x 1 in

Sarah Slappey, Golden Braid, 2021, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 154.9 x 139.7 cm, 61 x 55 in

Sarah Slappey, Flame Fingers, 2020, Oil and acrylic on paper, 65.5 x 60.5 cm framed, 50.5 x 45.5 cm unframed

Sarah Slappey, Flame Fingers II, 2020, Oil and acrylic on paper, 65.5 x 60.5 cm framed, 50.5 x 45.5 cm unframed

Rico Weber, La Fleur Du Mal, 2000, titled, signed & dated, acrylic resin, silicone, metal, photo print, 52 x 76 cm, 20 1/2 x 29 7/8 in