East Third Street Gallery presents Meghan Finds Herself, a concise show of smaller paintings and drawings by artist Meredith Iszlai. A recurring model named ‘Meghan’, whose pose Meredith has been studied obsessively, spreads herself open for the viewer heralding the show’s theme of female sexuality. Featured are small framed drawings and paintings of nude pin-up models from vintage and discarded pornographic magazines. The drawings are created using a variety of vibrant materials and tools where detailed brushwork combined with more painterly sensibilities are captured in lavish displays of color and craftsmanship.
Meredith Iszalai Meghan Finds Herself
Opening Reception Thursday, April 18, 6pm - 9pm
Meredith is a Brooklyn-based artist who has embraced unusual art supplies after working in the art materials industry. Stockpiling glitter, metal leaf, and neon paints—items that cause ocular assault; along with her interest in classical figurative painting and kitsch are on equal display. Stretched velvet covered with pastel and airbrushed paints add areas of deep, flat color in contrast to shiny pigments and even dollar store confetti.
She references the tradition of men painting the female figure with luscious, busty women through the seductive and one-sided lens of porn. After grabbing discounted porn at a corner store to use as reference for making drawings, her interest in porn magazines and other advertising images took hold. Meredith re-works the images recreating the women with agency and assertiveness. Besides simply painting a pretty face, Meredith creates a playful synthesis of high and low taste. As much as her focus is on the figurative painting tradition, this body of work is also is also a rejection of these traditions. The paintings dare you to lock eyes, and without shyness, show a woman’s sexuality being open and freely expressed.
