Dreadful Sorry Clementine
Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor
Dreadful Sorry Clementine
November 5, 2011 - January 7, 2012
SHOW CATALOG (PDF)
PRESS RELEASE (PDF)
Charlie James Gallery is delighted to present Sacramento-based artist Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor in her first solo show with the gallery, entitled Dreadful Sorry Clementine. Elisabeth’s exhibit takes its name from a children’s nursery rhyme – the original being sing-songy and childish, but contrasted with dark, melodramatic lyrics. This contrast relates to Elisabeth’s work as well, as she continues her practice of walking the line between familiarity and chaos. Working with commonly available materials such as bed sheets, bedding and other discarded domestic fabrics; Elisabeth creates sculptural works that address the unique fascination we experience with the allure of the grotesque.
The exhibit will feature a suite of sculptural figures, ranging in height from 6 to 8 feet tall. Influenced by assemblage artists such as Bruce Conner, Elisabeth engages in the physicality of her materials. In using a new process she developed with cardboard, resin and stiffened fabrics, she is able to shape her creatures with more specific geometries. Elisabeth’s execution of the materials suggests both obsessive anxiety and wild abandon.
Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor (b.1963, Los Angeles) took her MFA from UC-Davis in 2005. Elisabeth will be exhibiting in Loop, curated by China Adams in December 2011, and participating in a residency at Bemis Center for Contemporary Art in early 2012. She has exhibited at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, CA, the San Jose Institute for Contemporary Art, the Torrance Art Museum, the De Saissett Museum and the Kohler Company Space in Kohler, Wisconsin. Her work has been reviewed in numerous publications including Artforum, LA Weekly, ArtWeek, Artillery, and Beautiful Decay. She lives and works in Sacramento, California.
Installation
