Always appreciative of Modern Eden Gallery their longevity and the shows they continue to put on. When the theme for their 14th annual portrait show was masks I had to do something. This painting was a fun process that went through many changes starting with a space helmet (not actually a mask) and ending with painting over the suit and an unreasonably colorful first attempt at paisley with a purple base honored in the remaining pocket square.
“After Laughter”
acrylic on canvas
16″x20″
Modern Eden Gallery proudly presents The Portrait Show 14: Masquerade, our annual portrait show and a yearly tradition celebrating the many forms of contemporary portraiture. This year’s theme explores the power of what we reveal and what we conceal. A mask can protect, transform, seduce, or liberate, hiding the face while exposing something deeper beneath. Through disguise, performance, ritual, and self invention, artists examine identity as something fluid, layered, and unstable. From ceremonial masks and theatrical personas to alter egos, private selves, and imagined identities, Masquerade considers the tension between who we are and who we choose to present. These portraits move beyond likeness, embracing the figure as a site of transformation that is elegant, uncanny, fractured, defiant, and beautifully artificial, revealing the many selves we carry behind the face.
Opening reception Thursday June 4th 6-9pm
The exhibit runs through July 26th
moderneden.com
1100 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA, 94109