AND THE REFINEMENT OF THEIR DECLINE

Solo Exhibition by Victoria May at Don Stoker Gallery in San Francisco
August 27th - October 1st, 2016
Opening Reception: August 27th, 4-6pm
Artist Talk: September 17th, 4:30-6pm

And the refinement of their decline \\ 2015 \\ screen printed organza, found paper and drop cloth; horse mane, aluminum, silk

What do we require to feel comfort? What causes the "need" for luxury? Historically, sumptuous fashion or decor uses precious materials or ordinary ones that have been highly crafted or refined through human labor. How did these refinements come to be invented? What propelled people to transform simple needs for warmth, protection and comfort into elaborate embellishments? The fact that these refinements often stem from potentially abject substances, such as moth cocoons or sheep fur, creates a compelling tension between their source and their final manifestation.

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​Victoria May's Artist Statement:

An interest in tension and dichotomy fuels my artwork. Continually I attempt to merge the delicate with the strong, to seduce and repel, to obscure and reveal, and to combine the hand and the machine. A conceptual tension arises between beauty and darkness in my work, alluding to the fundamental struggles inherent in the human condition. Using the framework of cultural constructs, such as abstraction, codification, circumscription, my work highlights the absurdity they often impose. By pitting the organic or visceral against the institutional, I seek to reveal a dark humor or tender fragility in the seeming contortions that often underpin our lives.I often rely on raw materials and found objects to function as would text or imagery, allowing the history, function, metaphorical value and/or sensibility of each element to contribute to the work’s intent, along with my own investment of labor. Meticulous handwork transforms humble materials into the precious, mirroring how our own ephemeral lives become precious through our own personal toils.

Compass \\ fabric, screen printed polyester, acrylic on found canvas \\ 30" x 24"

Don Soker Contemporary Art
2180 Bryant St. #205, San Francisco, CA 94110
Hours: Friday + Saturday 12:00-6:00 and by appointment
415-291-0966  donsoker15(at)gmail.com