FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
RICHARD BUTLER: hypochondriacatthegramercyparkhotel
IN THE VIDEO ROOM: MAI UEDA BIRD CHOIR
FREIGHT+VOLUME, 530 w 24th St, NY, NY 10011 Feb 18 – March 26th, 2011. Artist’s reception: Friday, Feb 18th 6-8pm.
“There’s an army on the dance floor
It’s a fashion with a gun, my love In a room without a door
A kiss is not enough...” (“Love My Way”, The Psychedelic Furs)
It has become increasingly difficult to find a painter who combines classic beauty and contemporary concerns with ease. Richard Butler is one such artist. His explorations of beauty and religion are cloaked in disguises – by turns fetishistic, with undertones of sadomasochism, bondage and glimpses of acid-induced horror – at other times, for example in his Geisha series, surreal, peaceful and mannerist. But at the end of the day his paintings are, well - beautiful. Richard Butler is somewhat of an anomaly in the art world. Born in Hampton Court England, he studied art and design as an undergrad, but went on to pursue a music career as founder and singer/songwriter of the hugely successful English band “The Psychedelic Furs” in the eighties and nineties. Butler resumed a painting career some fifteen years ago, residing now in Beacon New York.
His disarmingly simple portraits contain layers of mystery and meaning which unfold long after the first encounter. What sets Butler apart from many of his peers is how ultimately how personal his work is. “I always thought it odd that people would hang a portrait of someone they didn’t know in their living room”, Butler muses. In most of these works his daughter is the model and inspiration – her preteen, cherubic face peers out from behind a rubber Mouseketeer costume, or is swathed in bubblewrap, in some cases; in others it is veiled by the subtle patterns of a confessional cubical. Always present are the distinct details revealing someone the artist knows very well; like Freud or Neel, Butler obviously spends a great deal of time with his subject. A black eye in one, a bloody lip in another, conjure up connotations of domestic violence perhaps. Or is it just ordinary child’s play? Clearly his work allows multiple interpretations – and this is what keeps his portraits at once porous and opaque.
Other subjects in Butler’s oeuvre include Geishas, in various states of distortion; family members; skull necklaces and Catholic confessionals. His treatment of enclosed space, and manipulation of proportion and human features recalls another well-known British artist, Francis Bacon. Like Bacon, Butler’s palette is also pared down to an elegant minimalism. Predominantly black and white, his paintings are hued with touches of lavender, dashes of pink, hints of ochre and vanilla. The stark textures of rubber and skin are juxtaposed with billowing kimonos, atmospheric gesture and fluid sensuality. The Age of Innocence is breathtakingly captured, teetering on the verge of adulthood and awakening. That poignant moment is at the core of Butler’s vision.
“Love my way, it’s a new road I follow where my mind goes,
So swallow all your tears my love
And put on your new face...”
We are also pleased to present a new performance and video project by artist Mai Ueda in the video room. Titled "Bird Choir", the 15-minute piece explores issues of sexuality and coming of age, as well as the deconstruction of femininity in the context of ritual, song, dance, yoga - and performance in general. The brightly-costumed players in Mai's tableau form a sensual accompaniment to her nonsensical and witty spoken-word songs - inviting the viewer to let down their guard and open both their hearts and minds to spontaneity and uninhibitedness.
Mai Ueda is a multi-media artist and freethinker who makes conceptual songs and poems among many other projects. She has performed widely, at non-profit venues and festivals both here and abroad, including the Venice Biennale's Internet Pavilion, PS 1, as well as galleries across the world.
In addition to the video, "Bird Choir" will be performed live at 8:30 pm on Friday, February 18th at Freight+Volume, as well as select dates to be announced, including Armory Week on Saturday, March 5th, at the gallery.
For further information please contact Nick Lawrence or Kevin Kay @ 212-691-7700, or info@freightandvolume.com.
