What happens when an artist attempts to liberate the female form from the milieu of society? For centuries, the female form has been a beloved subject in art history. It has been used as an agent of temptation, and has come to symbolize fertility and beauty. The artists we are looking at this week take into account both personal and cultural perceptions of the female form to produce art that is simultaneously engaging and provocative. In Istanbul, a young female artist uses materials commonly associated with the domestication of women to convey her personal experiences living in male-dominated world. In Zug, Galerie Gmurzynska will showcase new works by Fernando Botero including several renditions of the artist’s voluptuous female figures that trump current cultural trends of the ideal woman.
Merve Üstünalp: Once We Were, Once We Weren’t will be on view on September 5 at Kemankes Mah, Mumhane Cad., Laroz Han No: 67, Karaköy, 34425 Istanbul, Turkey.
Merve Üstünalp, Gacilar, artSümer, Istanbul, Turkey
artSümer, a participating gallery in the first edition of ArtInternational Istanbul opening later this month, will be showing mixed media works by emerging artist Merve Üstünalp (Turkish, b.1987) that challenge conventional female roles in a satirical fashion. Üstünalp works with textile and needlework to manufacture the archetypal female image endorsed by society. Once We Were, Once We Weren’t invites viewers to reflect on issues of sexuality and gender hierarchy, and on how these factors work in contradiction to the calm and poised demeanor expected of today’s women. Through a series of visual narratives, the viewer comes face to face with a biographical account of the artist’s struggle to meet the expectations of a demanding society.
Fernando Botero—It is All About Volume will be on view on September 5 at Unter Altstadt 20, CH-6300 Zug, Switzerland.
Fernando Botero, La Novia, Zug, Switzerland
For over 50 years, Fernando Botero (Colombian, b.1932) has been a seminal proponent of Figurative Art, excelling in both painting and sculpture on an international scale. The aptly titled exhibition, It is All About Volume, is a multi-venue event presented by Galerie Gmurzynska, an established and highly regarded Swiss gallery that will be hosting this major exhibition in conjunction with their 20th anniversary festivities. Among the selection of new works will be paintings of Botero’s societal femmes, female figures portrayed in an array of conventional dress and poses, and devoid of any expression that may threaten their composure and status. La Novia (2013) depicts a full-figured woman in a fitted wedding dress, carefully posed with one hand on her hip. All the elements in this portrait are meticulously placed, not to represent a particular woman, but to reflect a constructed perception of overarching societal divisions and gender roles. Botero is able to keep the mood of his painting light, as he does with many of his works, by infusing social commentary with humor and his idiosyncratic style, “Boterismo.”
Browse openings by city to see where art can be found in your town!
Basel, Switzerland
Peter Bynum: Illuminated Paintings at JanKossen Contemporary
September 5–October 17, 2013
101 Haltingerstrasse, BS 4053 Basel, Switzerland
Berlin, Germany
Michael Müller at Galerie Thomas Schulte
September 5–November 9, 2013
Charlottenstraße 24, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Düsseldorf, Germany
desaströses Ich at Galerie Hans Mayer
September 5–October 31, 2013
Grabbeplatz 2, 40213 Düsseldorf, Germany
Hamburg, Germany
Yto Barrada: La courte échelle (Räuberleiter), Hamburg at Galerie Sfeir-Semler
September 5–October 26, 2013
Admiralitätstr, 71, 20459 Hamburg, Germany
London, UK
Khaled Takreti: Complete Freedom at Ayyam Gallery
September 5–October 5, 2013
143 New Bond Street, 1st Floor, W1S 2TP, London, UK
Nicholas Verrall at Catto Gallery
September 5–25, 2013
100 Heath Street, London, NW3 1DP UK
Lugano, Switzerland
Francesco Vella & Silvano Repetto: Recent Works at De Primi Fine Art SA
September 5–30, 2013
Piazza Cioccaro 2, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
New York, NY
Shirin Gallery NY at Shirin Art Gallery
September 5
511 W 25th Street Suite 507, New York, NY 10001
Biala and Brustlein and Robert Kulicke: Paintings and Works on Paper 1959-1969 at Tibor de Nagy Gallery
September 5–12, 2013
124 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Calligraffiti 1984/2013 at Leila Heller Gallery
September 5–October 5, 2013
568 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001
GLAMOUR IS BACK – Great moments from the Trunk Archive (LUMAS New York – Soho) at LUMAS – PHOTO.ART.EDITIONS.
September 5–October 6, 2013
362 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013
NYC preview: Worlds of Paper and Wood at Raquelle Azran – Vietnamese Contemporary Fine Art
September 5–12, 2013
320 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022
Barbara Takenaga: New Paintings at DC Moore Gallery
September 5–October 5, 2013
535 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10011
Jacques Roch:The Kiss and the Castle and Susan Chrysler White: Medusa at Kim Foster Gallery
September 5–October 5, 2013
529 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
Rosemarie Fiore at Von Lintel Gallery
September 5–October 19, 2013
520 West 23rd Street, Ground Floor, New York, New York 10011
Portland, ME
Thomas Connolly: Ensemble at Greenhut Galleries
September 5–28, 2013
146 Middle Street, Portland, ME 04101
Portland, OR
September Artist of the Month: Collage, Watercolor, and Abstract Paintings By Mike Smith at Attic Gallery
September 5–28, 2013
206 SW First Avenue, Portland, OR 97204
San Francisco, CA
Fluid at Jenkins Johnson Gallery
September 5–October 1, 2013
464 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
Chuck Close: Important Works on Paper from the Past Forty Years at John Berggruen Gallery
September 5–November 16, 2013
228 Grant Avenue, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Floors, San Francisco, CA 94108
Linda Ridgway: The Grand Anonymous at John Berggruen Gallery
September 5–October 12, 2013
228 Grant Avenue, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Floors, San Francisco, CA 94108
David Maisel: Mining at Haines Gallery
September 5–October 26, 2013
49 Geary Street, Suite 540, San Francisco, CA 94108
Laurel Roth: Flight of the Dodo and Tomoko Konoike: Earthshine at Gallery Wendi Norris
September 5–October 26, 2013
161 Jessie Street (at Montgomery), San Francisco, CA 94105
Patrick Hughes: DECEPTIVESPECTIVE at Scott Richards Contemporary Art
September 5–28, 2013
251 Post Street, Suite 425, San Francisco, CA 94108
Seoul, Korea (South)
Bharti Kher ‘Anomalies’ at Kukje Gallery
September 5–October 5, 2013
54 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, 110-200 Seoul, Korea (South)
Zurich, Switzerland
White House at Galerie Clemens Gunzer
September 5–October 24, 2013
Titlisstrasse 29, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
Frank Stella: Malerei, Collage, Graphik (Zürich) at Galerie Wild
September 5–November 20, 2013
Heinrichstr. 215, 8005 Zurich, Switzerland