Cummer Resources

Written by Nicole Gaudier

A statement from the artist:

“I explore a primary theme of the show, nostalgia, not by playing directly into it but by playing off of it orthogonally, bringing the work into the present.  While I do not consider the resulting painting confessional in the strict sense of the term, I looked to leading feminist and confessional artist Tracey Emin for inspiration, particularly her 1995 work “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With” (a.k.a. “The Tent”).  Her piece, listing out the names of everyone she had ever shared a bed with, has a decidedly intimate and nostalgic feel, and so I moved from names to the use of a contemporary symbol which, in its arrangement in a grid, defies narrative and intimacy.  Leveraging techniques in Pop Art (especially Andy Warhol’s use of the repeated image) I aim to both disarm the symbol and render it non-objective, diminishing its power as a political statement and perhaps as an attempt to reclaim my own sexual history.”

Rachel Levanger, My coming of age: boys , 2013, from the film still Boys 2, Acrylic and latex on canvas

Rachel Levanger ‘s work  My coming of age: boys  will be in the Our Shared Past exhibition, on view in the Stein Gallery from December 17, 2013 to May 25, 2014.

There will be artist appearances at the Stein Gallery January through April. Each Saturday, artists from the exhibition will be in the Gallery from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  Others will make appearances throughout the day on Weaver Free Saturdays, and on Tuesday evenings during the exhibition.