May 26
– July 9, 2011
SALLY SMART
Flaubert's Puppets
Flaubert's Puppets,
2011, synthetic polymer paint and ink on canvas, fabric and paper with
collage elements, dimensions variable
Australian artist Sally Smart is known for her
large-scale collage installations applied directly to the gallery wall. She
works with
a range of media, including painted canvas and felt cut-outs, photographic
elements, and printed fabric. The pins and joins that connect her work remain
exposed to the viewer, emphasizing the performative process Smart undergoes in
the cutting, drawing, and assembly of her work. FlaubertÕs Puppets
(Femmage), Smart's third solo exhibition at Postmasters, explores the ideas
of the feminine identity, performance, and nature. The wall installation
will be accompanied by a series of framed, collaged drawings. In FlaubertÕs
Puppets the cut-out, hybridized figures, legs, arms, and swishing skirts
fall apart and come together to accentuate movement. The images, inscribed
with marks and notations, reference choreographersÕ drawings and reflect on the
performative process of SmartÕs static yet dynamic installation.
The word Femmage was used by the American feminist and
theorist, Miriam Shapiro in 1976 to describe work traditionally made by women,
and the multitude of techniques, including collage, photomontage and
embroidery, that women have used; Femmage for Smart is a term used to
describe the idea of womenÕs relationship (historical and contemporary) to the
art making process and the connections to feminist politics (The use of
materials –mostly fabric - is integral to the conceptual unfolding of
SmartÕs work, as is the act of cutting, pining, staining and stitching).
Also on view: KENNETH TIN-KIN HUNG - The
Travelogue of Dr. Brain Damages
Fa¨ade: NATALIE JEREMIJENKO - xCLINIC FARMACY
Postmasters Gallery located at 459 West 19th Street
between 9 and 10 Avenues
is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 – 6
Please contact Magdalena Sawon or Paulina Bebecka with questions and image
requests postmasters@thing.net
www.postmastersart.com