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This February, Artereal is excited to present Ashlee Becks second solo exhibition with the gallery. Titled Vinegar Bath, the exhibition will showcase a ‘series of new paintings exploring themes of self-discovering, isolation and co-dependency through thick impasto mark making.
“I am an impasto painter specialising in the need to better understand and live with the self. A material sensibility guides my work, with thick impasto mark making acting as a metaphor for self-discovery and healing. My paintings include self-portraits, figuration, various types of flora, and still-life, and draw on digitally cropped and collaged reference photographs. Inspired by Realism and artists from Lucian Freud to Frida Kahlo, my self-portraits are not intended to be flattering. They aim to depict everyday life: its banality, beauty, and hardships. Through intricate details juxtaposed with loving, performative, and visceral paint strokes, I enable viewers to sense my presence as an artist.”
Vinegar Bath is both a self-portrait of the artist and of home. A contradictory place for her that is both strangely hostile yet a haven.
Acidic, astringent vinegar, when mixed with water for a vinegar bath becomes an unlikely therapeutic salve; rendering the bath a place of comfort and self-care. These opposing aspects of pain and pleasure epitomise Ashlee’s approach to painting and to being at home: “at once a place of sanctuary but also a place where I feel lonely and where my mental illness can be exacerbated…”
Swathes of rich viscous oil paint applied with palette knife build on the canvas. Each pass of the blade and impasto layer is evidence of the artist, her presence and labour and process of self-discovery.
Vinegar Bath is a collage of many, many paintings that are widely diverse in scale. Colours are muted. Soft peaches, pinks and lilac hues. Garden greens, olives, citrus, and greys, and lots of creamy white. Every work contributes to the sense of what it is like to live in the artist’s home.
Selected paintings in the exhibition are suspended on lilac ribbons that pool and spill on the gallery floor; an intimate gesture from the artist to the viewer who is encouraged to explore their own relationships to home and to self.
Barbara Dowse
Curator
‘I see right through you’, aims to examine the sometimes abusive relationship between body and image. Through tender and loving impasto application, Becks seeks to redefine how we view ourselves. A self-portrait, the work see’s Becks stare into a mirror where her body is reflected. This speaks to the artists own experience with mental illness and the mismatch that can occur between personal perception and reality. The materiality of the painting lends itself to an indexical sensibly where the artist is present. Becks hopes that speaking openly about her struggle with body image will inspire viewers to treat their bodies more compassionately.
‘Home is not my own’ investigates how materiality and painting can be used to explore and depict mental illness. Part of a wider series of work, the painting explores themes of self-imposed isolation and loneliness within the home. For many home is a safe space, but what happens when intrusive and destructive thoughts make your home theirs? What do you do when you can’t be alone but the thought of leaving the house induces deep dread? The use of impasto speaks to these questions and the anxiety that accompanies it. Some marks are detailed and intricate, others violent and expressive. It is hoped that by being transparent with the struggles that accompany mental illness, others will feel more comfortable to do the same.
‘From Emily’ depicts a dining room table adorned with a vase of tulips. Suspended above the table as though floating, is a cropped image of a bedside table. Below is another embedded image of a bathroom selfie. The figure stands alone, unclothed, and small. The painting is at once banal and unsettling in its intimacy. Home and moments of isolation become monumental with the generous application of oil paint and care to detail. This everyday autobiographical portrait subverts the tradition of picturing important figures at their best and enables viewers a more comprehensive insight into the life of the artist.
All prices are in Australian dollars and inclusive of GST. Freight costs not included. Prices are correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change without notice.
For information on paying off artworks in instalments please contact the gallery.