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This is the official opening reception for my solo show "Dopamine" at the Von Lintel Gallery. It would mean so much to me if you will join us! Nicolette Spear at Von Lintel Gallery
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea? —William Shakespeare, Sonnet 65
Nicolette Spear’s arresting paintings combine emotionally evocative classical modes of nude portraiture with post-Pop critique of our collective addiction to corporate consumerism. Her soulfully described portraits of humans from the infant to the elder, the poised and the pained combine with meticulously rendered grids of ubiquitous corporate logos in a manner that bypasses puns and punchlines—to instead sound the alarm about the toxic biofeedback bouncing us around the algorithm.
Spear gives a cheeky and satisfying new dimension to the concept of the “brand,” being both an ideographic symbol and a scar of ownership on the flesh, but the quality of lamentation that pervades her paradoxical compositions speaks to what is lost. In some ways, these haunting paintings are what psychological shadow work looks like—naming and reflecting upon the dark side of our desires, the hidden costs of our earthly delights, and the devil’s bargain of agency for status that our increasingly online existence demands of us.
The figures in her works are shown alone, each one’s private darkness bespeaking an emptiness inside which they sit, and which also sits inside them. The light of the homescreen is a poor substitute for the light of the sun; no one seems well. At the same time, the grids form a kind of game board, a hopscotch of recognition and chagrin, participation and inner conflict, beauty and rage—a flash of engagement not unlike the dopamine hit that comes from a like. Far from attempting to scold or resolve the situation, Spear simply deeply notices it, and saves it as a chronicle of this time in history.
—Shana Nys Dambrot, Los Angeles 2024
Can't make it to the opening? Feel free to join me for the artist reception January 18th 4-6pm at the Von Lintel Gallery, where a more intimate group of the artists friends and family will gather to view the show.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Von Lintel Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave, Unit A7,Los Angeles,CA,United States, Santa Monica
