BE THERE
My First LovePresented by Mixed Greens Gallery November 13, 2008- December 22, 2008Reception: November 13, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pmAlessandra Exposito
Exposito has a long-standing fascination with trophy animals and mounted game. Instead of using traditional deer or elk in her work, she chooses farm animals and beloved pets—such as chickens or cats—that lack associations with rugged masculinity. Exposito uses paint, rhinestones, studs and sculpted antlers to elevate their skulls into powerful fetish objects. For this exhibition, she focuses solely on the horse, an animal with complicated and opposing associations: domesticated and wild, leisure and work, the object of affection of both cowboys and little girls. In the south gallery, Exposito creates a fictional narrative uniting a family of horses. Meticulous paintings on each skull reveal an intimate story in which tribute is paid to the animal and the people who owned and loved it. Decoration and detailing implies personality not usually attributed to a horse. In the north gallery, the viewer encounters Exposito's first complete skeleton. This horse, painted white and placed on a white floor with white walls, shimmers and nearly disappears. Adorned with sculpted flowers, birds and other decoration, the sculpture is Exposito's vision of the afterlife and an arresting memento mori. Alessandra Exposito received her MFA from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers in 1998 and has shown in numerous group exhibitions in New York City and beyond. Venues include Ambrosino Gallery (Miami, FL), the Academy of Arts and Letters (NY, NY), Schroeder Romero Gallery (NY, NY), The Nathan Cummings Foundation (NY, NY), The Shore Institute of Contemporary Arts (Long Branch, NJ), and Art in General (NY, NY). Museum exhibitions include "Open House, Working in Brooklyn," at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, "Miniatures" at the Jersey City Museum, and "El Museo's Biennial" at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Alessandra was the recipient of a Marie Walsh Sharpe Studio and a Macdowell Colony residence. In 2005, she won the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award and the Purchase Award from the American Academy of Arts and letters. In 2007, she won a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in sculpture. About Mixed Greens Mixed Greens was founded as a place to give emerging artists a wider audience. Through its website, printed catalog, gallery exhibitions and traveling shows, Mixed Greens has exposed a larger community to the engaging and thought-provoking work of dozens of artists. Currently, the gallery represents twenty-two artists, who are now at varying stages in their careers. The mission is to show work that is not only of contemporary interest, but will be of lasting art historical significance. Cross Street: Between 10th & 11th Streets Subway: C, E to 23rd St.; 1 to 23rd, 28th Sts Gallery Hours: Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm, Saturday from 11am to 6pm, and by appointment. Free and open to the public.
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