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Jar Memory Galley |
Exhibit Info | Clément
Bio | Kamena Bio
Jar Memory
New painting by Serge Clément and Marina Kamena
24 May - 23 June, 2011
In Serge Clément and Marina Kamena’s new body of work, Jar Memory, a
selection of the great masterworks from the canon of art history are
recontextualized in a painting series that raises questions about
the power of the image and cultural preservation. The series is
painted on wood and depicts images of glass jars, which are
typically used for preserving food and found in one’s pantry.
Encapsulated within each jar are exquisitely rendered, trompe l’oeil
recreations of well-known works of art. These masterpieces presented
in an unexpected context, provoke the viewer to pause, to see anew,
and to engage in an intimate dialogue with art and history. “We our
selves become curators,” the artists explain.
Bosch, Bacon, Botero. Magritte, da Vinci, de Kooning, El Greco.
Hopper, Vermeer, and Picasso. We know the names; we see them
reproduced in books, on postcards, on t-shirts, and flashing on our
computer screens. We assume we have “seen” the artwork, but have we?
For Clément and Kamena, in painting the artworks in a jar, the
artists are involved in an act of preservation. The paintings prompt
us to see these works in a new way and to enjoy them without the
distancing often imposed by museum and other cultural institutions.
The paintings are intended to be seen, enjoyed, and understood on a
personal level. |
