"Rosa Loy has devoted herself to the theme of the feminine in all of its many facets since the start of her career as a painter, producing many fascinating figures. Her pictures are populated by women of all kinds: explorers, girlfriends, guards, dreamers, energetic workers, mysterious sphinxes, eavesdroppers, seductresses, protective mothers, and schemers, each of whom experiences very different kinds of encounters." -Ute Reise (foreword from Rosa Loy, Manna 2011)
McClain Gallery is pleased to present the first exhibition of German artist Rosa Loy's work in Texas. Loy is associated with a contemporary German painting movement loosely referred to as the New Leipzig School, and as one of the few women members of the group, her dream-like narratives express an intimate point of view. Her solo show, titled Souvenir, includes a selection of recent paintings and new works on paper.
Culled from locations both far and diverse, Loy chose the title Souvenir to call attention to her act of collecting and to the diversity of sources from which her inspirations are drawn. The nature of a souvenir invites a symbolic reading that nicely parallels elements of Loy's work, which ask that one look at each intricately layered painting with an intuitive approach where nostalgia, the imagination, and the psyche can come to life. Loy navigates a world of personal meaning in her works that reference both folklore and myth, yet also signify experiences past and dreams future. The protagonists in her paintings seem to simultaneously confront and struggle within the complexity of the landscapes and terrains that she builds: two women struggle to pull a third ashore, a couple flies with the weight of an occupied barn on their shoulders, one flails to put out a fire, while another seems charmed by the flame. In a constant state of flux, these paintings have their own logic that intrigues and invites introspection.
Loy works with the traditional, but seldom-used casein, a milk-derived water-soluble paint. This particular medium infuses her canvases with rich hues counterbalanced by complementary, more muted tones; and as casein dries quickly, it requires that she work fast, imbuing an invigorating energy and freshness to her compositions.
Rosa Loy was born in Zwickau, Germany (1958) and lives and works in Leipzig, Germany. She has had major solo exhibitions at Städtische Museum Zwickau, Germany; Kunstverein Elsterpark E.V., Leipzig, Germany; VEAG Förderpreis für Kunst, Leipzig, Germany; and Kunstverein der Stadt, Backnang, Germany. In the United States her work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles; André Schlechriem, New York; and David Zwirner, New York.
Rosa Loy will be in attendance for the Artist Reception on January 24, 2013. Loy will also be participating in a public conversation with artist Neo Rauch and Gary Tinterow, Director, MFAH on Saturday, January 26, 2013.