Episode 1, 2016
For its first showing at NADA New York, Albertz Benda is pleased to present a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Lucia Love. Specifically curated for the booth at NADA Projects, this exhibition includes dozens of recent drawings from the artist’s series Objectophilia focused on illustrative character development. This site-specific installation hung salon-style creates an environment that reads as a large-scale comic book that opens up a hidden world of desires and uncertainty. The presentation at the fair will be followed by the artist’s first solo exhibition of paintings at Albertz Benda in early July 2016.
In Objectophilia, Love uses sprawling and idiosyncratic methods of recording character to depict a world of women who profess their love for a surprising recipient – a cactus. The artist uses sheet after sheet of Fabriano paper to detail the pining of countless lonely hearts – each deluding themselves with their swooning and proclamations of love – while naysayers drop in to share their doubts and observations. Recurring motifs and symbols in each frame hint at the formation of relationships despite the nonlinear narrative. Collectively the work creates an effect similar to looking at a cross section of an apartment building filled with lovers with multiple unfolding stories.
While Love’s works draw inspiration from sources ranging from Trenton Doyle Hancock, Victor Moscoso, Mike Judge, to David Shrigley, it is character - America's most vital export – that is used as a channel to depict snippets of popular culture, consumerism, and systemic gender stereotypes. A feminine presence in a stereotypically male genre, Love offers a fresh view by incorporating diverse elements of mass media and fine art, while relaying an uncensored and incisive account of the absurd culture at large.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lucia Love [American, b. 1988] lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York. In 2014 Love participated in The Last Brucennial and in the collaborative installation/performance Soft Power: The Game Show at Spring/Break Art Fair in New York. In 2014 she also produced Reflecting Pool at CUE Art Foundation and The Astronaut is a Devil with a Halo at Albertz Benda. At Massimiliano Gioni and Maurizio Cattelan’s Family Business gallery, Love curated iLike Market (and Market likes me) and participated in It’s a Small, Small World in 2012. She has participated in numerous performances, including May I Borrow a Cup of Sugar at the Google Headquarters in 2012.