ALYSSA MONKS
DISSOLVE
MAY 10 - JUNE 8

DFN Gallery is pleased to present  an exhibition of new work by Alyssa Monks.  In Dissolve Monks updates the classic image of the bathing nude by contrasting the realism of the figure against its abstracted reflection beneath the water.  She uses this juxtaposition to explore the dichotomy between protection and exposure, with water acting as both an encircling defense and a transparent veil between subject, artist, and viewer.  The viewer, cast beyond or outside of the veil, is subsequently offered a view into the artist's inner world.

Monks puts an additional spin on the genre of bathtub painting by picturing herself in the images she creates.  In "Penance" she poses herself just beyond the bathroom door in a composition that suggests the Catholic sacrament of reconciliation.  Here the artist, as subject, averts her gaze from the observing and expectant viewer.  Her plastic bag is empty, her secret exposed.  In "Push" Monks' black negligee and red lipstick create a barrier between the artist/subject and the viewer.  The water, however, by virtue of its more destructive qualities, pulls that cloak away.  The resulting painting suggests the general objectification of the female subject, as well as the vulnerable nature of feminine artifice.

A number of paintings in this series were derived from images captured under water.  These paintings, in particular, reveal the intense color of diffused light, as well as water's distorting properties.  The close-up compositions also allowed Monks to investigate a more open brushstroke than she had used previously, with the surface of her canvas--and its pooling swirls of paint--mirroring the variable surface of the water and herself beneath it.

A graduate of the New York Academy of Art, Alyssa Monks has trained with Vincent Desiderio, John Jacobsmeyer, and Deane Keller.  She received her B.A., cum laude, from Boston College in 1999.  The artist's paintings have been exhibited nationally and can be found in many private collections.  This is Monks' first solo show at DFN Gallery.

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For more images, please click here.