Beauty Is The Hardest Drug
Two Window Project is proud to present new works by Katharina Arndt of Germany and R. Weber of the USA in their exhibition Beauty Is The Hardest Drug that will open at the galley space on Friday evening September 2nd marking the start of Berlin’s fall 2011 art season. Through their new works, these two artists explore the perception of beauty, celebrity and a host of the accoutrements of its darker side that have been associated with this phenomenon.
The title of the exhibition, “Beauty Is The Hardest Drug”, is attributed to Andy Warhol in particular and borrowed from an article in Interview Magazine from the 1970’s written by Bob Colacello. It was during this time that New York was at the dawn of it’s ‘Pop Revolution’ and a whole new generation was being fueled by Warhol’s probably more famous quote "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes", actors, artists, designers and models alike were all grasping for their quarter hour in the spotlight. Since then a variety of medicinal practices and potions that have been developed to cultivate a more enhanced or higher level of performance in this world of beauty helping to catapult some contenders to the front of the cue.
Katharina Arndt’s super-realistic portraits meticulously rendered in color pencil depict easily recognizable personas from the current medias of television, movies and sports.
Her drawings of these 21st century icons display an ironic twist, as the color palettes for each are strangely beautiful, far from natural and purposefully arbitrary in their composition. As seen in her Scarlett works in this series, the subject’s hair in a pink tint and skin of darkened greens shades, suggesting an extraordinary, unearthly or possibly a manufactured beauty. Her drawings of these famous and familiar people that are loosely based on the images being flashed in the tabloids or on the screen help us to explore, from a totally new perspective, their perceived degree of beauty and celebrity.
R. Weber’s delicate paintings in oil on wood panel in a plein air style are completely juxtaposed by their subject matter. In these smaller scale paintings, contemporary imagery such as a bottle of Botox with a syringe or various prescription and recreational drugs are depicted. The underlying harshness connected with these various pharmaceuticals has been softened by the artist’s brush strokes. In this series the artist dares to illustrate the many tabooed indulgences that have assisted many along their path to a higher state and may have also derailed some who might have abused them.
The pairing of these two talented international artists and the unique point of view of their works for the exhibition Beauty Is The Hardest Drug should make for a very entertaining perspective on this realm of beauty, celebrity and indulgence.
The artists will be in attendance at the opening reception.
For inquiries please email to: twowindowproject@yahoo.de
Beauty Is The Hardest Drug
a dual solo exhibition with Katharina Arndt and R. Weber
opening reception: Friday the 2 September 6:00 – 9:00 pm
exhibition: 3 September – 8 October 2011
Two Window Project
Torstrasse 154, 10115 Berlin
www.twowindowproject.com
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