526 W 26th St #522
New York, NY 10001
USA
Studio 522 presents
Kristin Simmons’
The Edge Of Glamour Exhibition
November 7 – January 6, 2020
STUDIO 522
526 W 26th Street, 5th FL, NY, NY 10001
212-929-1981 www.studio522.nyc
The exhibition is on view from November 7th, 2019 to January 6th, 2020, at Studio 522 Gallery, located in the West Chelsea Art Building, 526 West 26th Street, 5th floor, NYC.
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 7th, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm
(New York, NY October 25, 2019) We’ve all heard the saying “Beauty is Pain,” but ask a woman what it feels like to purchase new shoes, get a haircut or spend a day at the spa and you will hear myriad pleasurable adjectives. Simmons aims at satirizing the culture of the elite consumption while simultaneously acknowledging her own complicity. The Edge of Glamour is not only about the double-standards of female identity, but also about challenging what institutions expect or deem as unacademic art, and questioning what constitutes “valuable” subject matter.
Simmons wants you to know that everything in this world is a double-entendre. If you can’t see it, look closer. In each piece, viewers can find themselves facing an obstructed familiarity. Hidden beneath the perfect Barbie smile, or the glittery jewels tumbling out of the RX bags, or the extravagant wealth commensurate with owning stocks, is a world of appetites that cannot be satisfied.
Inspired by popular culture, art history and her personal life, Simmons draws from that deep well a commentary on a personal desire, cultural habits, and rampant consumerism. Her work is acerbic, provocative, and unapologetically clever as it is empathetic and vulnerable. Whether she’s exploring pop culture, politics, gender roles or capitalism, Simmons doesn’t shy away from the polemical – but rather seeks to awaken the reality of society that surrounds us.
Simmons’ art, in all its dichotomy and complexity is never meant to romanticize nor condemn, but it certainly does live on the edge.
Simmons was most recently selected as the United Nations SDG5 “Artist in Residence.” She has been commissioned to create pieces that encourage conversations around gender roles – with the goal of achieving gender equality by 2030.
Simmons has had two solo shows to-date and has been featured in numerous group exhibitions and private collections, including at the 2016 Whitney Biennial at the Whitney Museum in New York.
Simmons uses paint, printmaking, and mixed media to provide a running commentary on herself and her contemporaries. Simmons’ work, which focuses on hedonistic pleasures—and in particular, the absolute pleasure of consumption—is as acerbic, provocative, and unapologetically clever as it is empathetic and vulnerable. She thinks that all consumption stems from an effort to distance oneself from pain, or steer oneself closer to pleasure. Simmons was born in the late ’80s and raised in Manhattan, which explains quite a bit.
Her art depicts the fulcrum of innocence and debauchery, of satiation and indulgence. She believes that this point of transition is ubiquitous within all of reality. Her pieces juxtapose colorful, graphic compositions—which often contain childhood artifacts, glitter, and neon—with more sinister, sybaritic messages.
*All proceeds from the exhibition will benefit Open Stage Project!
You can find more information on the artist, including additional works by visiting her website www.kristinsimmonsart.com or her Instagram @kristinsimmonsart.
Studio 522 Art program showcases works by emerging artists. The rotating exhibits include contemporary art, theatrical renderings, set design, costume design and production design.
At Studio 522, we are reimagining the salon experience. A far cry from factory-floor bustle, we believe that walking into our warm, intimate loft in Chelsea should feel like being welcomed into our home. The art-covered walls and sun-soaked space help any city-induced stresses melt away, so that you can feel totally at ease and open – the ideal conditions for discovering the perfect expression of your individual look.
Press Contact: Scotto Mycklebust, 917 697-0844, [email protected]
