Nicole Eisenman. Tis but a scratch

Friday 28 September 2012 Performance by Anat Ben-David, 9pm

Studio Voltaire presents a new commission by American artist Nicole Eisenman. The exhibition is the artist’s first major solo show in a UK public gallery and follows her participation in the 2012 Whitney Biennial.

For her presentation at Studio Voltaire, the artist will create a large-scale sculpture and multi-media installation that demonstrates her long-running fascination with human interaction and isolation. Eisenman’s subjects are often highly personal and speak explicitly to our current economic and political environment. From allegorical tableaux to singular portraits, the works ultimately go beyond these themes to explore a broader interest in the human condition. With an easygoing virtuosity accentuated by sharp wit and deadpan humor, Eisenman carves out a world in which meaning is elusive if not painfully unavailable.

Utilising a wide and erudite variety of techniques culled from the history of painting and printmaking, Eisenman approaches each of her subjects with a unique touch that adds to the sense that each of her figures, while inhabiting a common physical locale, exists in an isolated psychological space. Often cited as one of the seminal painters of her generation, specifically because her work reflects significant shifts in feminist art practice of the 1990s, Nicole Eisenman’s practice embraces popular culture and encompasses many types of media and subject matter. Through all of it is revealed an artist, both passionate and with a remarkable facility for witty self-critique, deeply invested in exploring her own time, in all its forms.

Eisenman (born 1965 in Verdun, France, now lives and works in New York) has had recent solo exhibitions at Susanne Vielmetter, Los Angeles (2011), Le Plateau, Paris and Kunsthalle Zürich, Zürich (both 2007). The artist has also has participated in a many group presentations including Whitney Biennial, New York; Jewish Museum, New York; MOMA, New York; Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid and Ludwig Museum, Cologne. Eisenman is represented by Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin; Leo Koenig Inc., New York and Susanne Vielmetter, Los Angeles.

Supported by the Nicole Eisenman Exhibition Circle: Adam Clayton, Harald Falckenberg, Valeria & Gregorio Napoleone and Michael Ringier

Nicole Eisenman
"Tis but a scratch’
‘A scratch?! Your arm’s off!’
‘No, it isn’t”
28.9.2012 Anat Ben-David, Performance 21:00 Uhr