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April 21, 2007- May 26, 2007
Reception: April 21, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Megan Burns
The Proposition
559 W 22nd St Megan Burns Monster Rug (2006) |
Burns’ newest work blends self-portraiture with her own fantasized persona, exploring origins of identity and sexuality. The large-scale oil paintings evoke a range of influences, from Eighties comic books to pinup girls. Each work displays the heroine, each an altered version of the artist, in a series of scenes, from provocatively lounging on satin sheets to struggling within a tangle of wires. The feature that bears the closest resemblance to the artist is the facial expressions, all bordering meditation and ecstasy.
The world that Burns creates is one that has developed over years of self-examination and absorption of popular culture. Her self-described exploration of “girlhood” comes through in the stylized adventure scenarios, as seen through the eyes of an imaginative child. The vivid palette and contoured outlines parallel those seen in graphic zines, while the menacing creatures are familiar props from science fiction films.
Monster Rug is an example of how the artist juxtaposes composition and content to develop a new interpretation. Against a lime green backdrop, the exposed figure coolly relaxes on a hairy rug made from the skin of a supernatural beast. The composite image is at once startling and alluring.
The scene is tense in Spacebird, as the heroine fights a crane-like creature threatening to cut her lifeline. She remains poised in space, tangled in the thread that connects the fantasy world to Burns’ opaque reality. The longing to escape from her imagined life is clear, however, as lucid memories continue to play with an impossible future.
Megan Burns recently received her Master of Fine Arts Degree at Yale University. This is her first solo exhibition at The Proposition, and the second time she has showed with the gallery.
Books and DVDs related to artists in this show
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