kelly reemtsen: smashing

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SMASHING

Cover Image:

Top Job, 2015oil on panel 60 x 60 in152 x 152 cm

KELLY REEMTSENSMASHING

OCTOBER 8 - NOVEMBER 14, 2015

In Smashing, Reemtsen builds upon the motif of daintily dressed women yielding tools and household equipment that she is best known for, in an exploration of the idea of “b“breaking the glass ceiling.” A concern with what constitutes the modern woman and the breaching of traditional gender roles, which can be traced throughout Reemtsen’s body of work, also informs these newest paintings. Stylized by a thick impasto and a bright, cheerful color palette, the works juxtapose the feminine in the form of the fashionable (and anonymous) figures, with the masculine, often aggressive, itemsitems, such as sledgehammers, axes, and chainsaws.

In keeping with the glass ceiling idea, the figures that inhabit the works in Smashing are headed upward, as Reemtsen adds in a visual element of climbing in many of her paintings.Alongside their accessories, the women are fitted with office chairs or ladders that allow them to reach new heights, both literally and figuratively. Despite the vintage feel of the clothing depicteddepicted, the theme of these paintings is an especially relevant one today, when women make great strides in the professional and political realms everyday, truly aiming for the elusive glass ceiling of yore.

Kelly Reemtsen’s work has been exhibited widely in the United States, and is part of the Twentieth Century Fox and AT&T corporate collections. Her 2013 book “I’m Falling” was the the recipient of The Independent Spirit Award at the 2014 Independent Publisher Books Award. Reemtsen currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Smashing, 2015oil on panel56 x 48 in142 x 122 cm

The Breakthrough, 2015oil on panel56 x 48 in142 x 122 cm

Shear Bliss, 2015oil on panel36 x 36 in91 x 91 cm

I Pick You, 2015oil on panel36 x 36 in91 x 91 cm

Fuck the System, 2015cast stainless steel39 x 15 x 12 in99 x 38 x 31 cmEdition of 5, + 1 AP (each color)

Shear Pleasure, 2015oil on panel44 x 44 in112 x 112 cm

Stiff Competition, 2015oil on panel44 x 44 in112 x 112 cm

Top Job, 2015oil on panel60 x 60 in152 x 152 cm

To The Top, 2015oil on panel60 x 60 in152 x 152 cm

Forced, 2015oil on panel44 x 44 in112 x 112 cm

Handled, 2015oil on panel44 x 44 in112 x 112 cm

Step Back, 2015oil on panel36 x 36 in91 x 91 cm

Step In, 2015oil on panel36 x 36 in91 x 91 cm

Unstuck, 2015oil on panel44 x 44 in112 x 112 cm

Labor Force, 2015oil on panel44 x 44 in112 x 112 cm

Executive Decision, 2015oil on panel56 x 48 in142 x 122 cm

Up and Away, 2015oil on panel72 x 48 in183 x 122 cm

A Way Out, 2015oil on panel44 x 44 in112 x 112 cm

Spotted, 2015oil on panel30 x 30 in76 x 76 cm

On Top, 2015oil on panel36 x 36 in91 x 91 cm

Step Up, 2015oil on panel36 x 36 in91 x 91 cm

Backlash, 2015oil on panel44 x 44 in112 x 112 cm

Striking Distance, 2015oil on panel44 x 44 in112 x 112 cm

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