Nature

The BEGRAMOFF Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition 'NATURE' which combines works by Djack, Belgian self-taught sculptor whose key values are "Equilibrium, Motion, Nature" and a series of works by Bryn McConnell, a young American painter presented several times in the gallery on the theme 'Wher...e Women Wear Nature'. The works presented vibrate in tune; minimalist sculptures by Djack resonate perfectly with the abstract paintings of McConnell. Djack loves what moves; he himself is always moving, with many projects in mind. He also likes to move the visitor who contemplates his works most often exposed in gardens, in nature. In most of his compositions, the perception changes depending on the viewing angle. The fluid line of a circle becomes a loop, ring or hoop, then metamorphoses into heart. In search of balance and movement, Djack works with metal and wood. He likes to evoke emotions with simple things: a curve, a rolling ball or just a stroke because the minimalist has definitely seduced him. Lines flowing or without tension, the sculptures by Djack bring a new dimension to the gardens and parks. They express an emotion, draw the eye to a forgotten corner of a garden, boost a walk. In other words, his sculptures always live in harmony with the garden and its occupants. Djack mainly exhibits in Belgium for fifteen years. Born in Brussels in 1960, he divides his time between Belgium and Greece. Bryn McConnell could belong to a category of painters called "pop spiritual feminists" but her works are also influenced by modern art, either German Expressionism, Symbolism or even Fauvism. McConnell is inspired by fashion photography used in advertising campaigns of any kind. She finds there archetypal images in the meaning of Jung, i.e. universal symbols whose meaning is unconsciously recognized. McConnell accepts and even encourages the intervention of the unconscious in her creation mode. It is in this way that she creates, from Roberto Cavalli commercials of 2011, two paintings - "Three (Daft Punk)" and "Three (Wild Horses)", each representing a trio of women who, after a brief analysis, prove to be an archetype in the history of religion and mythology: "the triple goddess", known in neo-paganism to represent girl, mother and old woman. In the paintings of McConnell, the power of Archetypal symbols of history contrasts with the transient nature of fashion, the trends of which change from season to season and from year to year. Furthermore, the paintings of Mc Connell contain considerable energy that makes us feel a great freedom. The perception of this energy is the consequence of the use of colours of extreme intensity and liveliness of the brushstroke. Note also that the brushstrokes in and around the subjects are of equal strength, which marks the presence of the character rather than its description. McConnell defines energy as mind. She paints the immutable spirit rather than the body, a physical shell that fades with time. The painting "Balzac" is a fine example of this idea. She was inspired by a photograph of an old woman wrapped in a fur stole, by Juergen Teller, referring to the famous Rodin sculpture, first derided and considered as grotesque, then deemed the major work of the sculptor. Because it represents more spiritual beauty than outer beauty. In the footsteps of Rodin, McConnell emphasizes more the spiritual realm of the women she paints rather than their plastic beauty and elegance expressed in photographs of fashion magazines. All the works presented on the theme "Where the women wear nature" were carried out in summer 2013, while McConnell was participating in an artist residence in the country ("CAMAC" – France). The influence of the environment will escape no one. We recognize the abstractions of woman in motion in nature. These women are strong and exalted, whether alone or in groups, represented upside down or almost invisible. McConnell has exhibited in solo or in group in Europe (especially in BEGRAMOFF Gallery) and the USA (especially in Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, Perry Rubenstein Gallery, Frontrunner Gallery in New York). McConnell was born in 1979 in Washington and lives and works in New York.