NINA SUREL
Understory
curated by Enrico Mattei
july 4 - august 5, 2012
Opening: wednesday july 4, 2012 7 pm
Fortino di Forte dei Marmi
Organized by:
Department of Culture, City of Forte dei Marmi
Claudio Poleschi Arte Contemporanea, Lucca
Claudio Poleschi Arte Contemporanea is pleased to announce the very first personal exhibition in Italy by artist Nina Surel at the Fortino, in Forte dei Marmi, from 4th July to 5th August – one of the most awaited exhibition events for Summer 2012.
The artist – who has recently been invited to publish one of her works on the cover of "Moda", supplement magazine of "Il Corriere della Sera newspaper" – was born in Buenos Aires in 1977, and today lives in Miami, USA. "Understory", the title of her exhibition, refers to the underbrush where her figures – mostly feminine – reveal themselves and come to life. They are intriguing, life-size characters with an aristocratic, fairy-tale allure, portrayed on a richly decorated background.
Surel's works are innovative, inspired by her interest in romantic and women's literature. They portray women intent on enacting their fantasies, their disguises, their subconscious desires so frequently repressed by the social environments of daily life.
The underbrush in Surel's works is a sort of stage set, a narrative background, but also an archetypical place connected to the psychological states of consciousness and unconsciousness, to what is allowed or prohibited. Thanks to this mise en scène Surel investigates the feminine world, a woman's multiple and subconscious personality that, thanks to the underbrush, attains freedom. Nina Surel's extravagant figures, portrayed on the edge of a forest, are always born from a self-portrait photograph of Surel, differently attired each time, adorned with flowers or jewelry to acquire a different identity. A self-portrait with an expressionless face – always, intentionally – ready to embody the deep spirit of this changeable and mysterious feminine universe.
In her works, Nina Surel uses a wide array of media, from costumes to the photograph, from the photograph to painting, to the collage of lace, buttons, pieces of porcelain and jewels, fixed on the canvas through layers of transparent resin. After printing the almost life-size image, the artist patiently begins to highlight the face, sometimes also using real professional make-up: blusher, lipstick. Then, she dresses the figure using, for example, pieces of old wedding gowns, multi-colored gems, vintage porcelain and a motley variety of costume jewelry, conferring a personality, a history to her character and almost giving it life.
Through her sensual images, Nina Surel seems to investigate her own true identity as a woman and as an artist, in a sort of personal rewriting of the history of women. Not by treating the condition of women, but rather by investigating the stereotypes, the models with which a woman is forced to confront herself, offering a surprising and provocative representation of today's woman.
Il Fortino Piazza Garibaldi.
Opening hours: 10 AM- 12.30 PM / 5 PM – 12 Midnight every day
(free entrance)
Tel. 0584 280292 - 0584 280253; fax 0584 280248
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Claudio Poleschi Arte Contemporanea
Via Santa Giustina 21, 55100 Lucca
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www.claudiopoleschi.com
