PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Paradigm Gallery + Studio announces two concurrent exhibitions: Still Standing, a solo show by Lauren Rinaldi, and Still Talking About It, a group exhibition of new works by Danielle Clough, Andrea Farina, and Suzanna Scott. On view from July 27, 2018 until September 15, 2018, Still Standing is a focused solo presentation of oil self-portraits, marking a continuation of Rinaldi’s representation of the female form through a personal lens. Still Talking About It, the group exhibition, brings together the works of Clough, Farina and Scott to explore the diversity of women’s collective experiences. Together, these distinct exhibitions explore the personal and universal struggles women face in today’s society.
Still Standing includes twenty-four large and small scale paintings by Lauren Rinaldi. Rinaldi’s delicate brushstrokes and soft coloration do not mask the strength embedded in the portraiture. Most of the works in Still Standing are sourced stills from videos that Rinaldi takes of herself as she gets ready in the morning. These videos act as a basis for her work and help her convey the natural movement often missing from depictions of the female form. While Rinaldi’s portraits are modeled after her own body, they communicate stories of universal importance in our contemporary moment. Focusing closely on particular regions of the body––legs, heads, torsos––Rinaldi detaches the image from the self-portrait, instead offering psychological representations that manifest societal pressures that affect her as a woman, particularly as an artist, mother and civic leader. “These works deal with ideas about what it means to be a woman: the different roles we play, the different stages in our life, the different archetypes that are required of us and the different ways that we are expected to be. Not only expectations that are put on us, but our own expectations that we put on ourselves.” Rinaldi states.
Also located in the gallery, Still Talking About It, a group exhibition of new works by Danielle Clough, Andrea Farina and Suzanna Scott, showcases the various ways in which contemporary textile art is used to represent the female form. All three artists use their work to explore inclusive ideas of womanhood and feminine identity. Clough’s stylized needlework begins with found vintage images of playboy models. Through her colorful, textured approach and layered dimension, she diverts these images’ original purpose by giving them a new space. Farina’s delicate embroidery on fabric depicts the female form from a more ambiguous approach. The thoughtful subtraction of identifying details creates a more universal figure. Finally, Scott brings twelve new sculptures to Still Talking About It as a part of her Coin Cunts series that she began in 2015. Found vintage silk and vinyl coin purses are turned inside-out and stitched to allude to the female anatomy. When discussing the series, Scott says, “A tease to the imagination, these transposed objects challenge our visual and cultural associations of women, money, and power." The series is meant to raise awareness about the social, political, and economic plights of women globally through the powerful imagery.
“We’ve organized Still Standing and Still Talking About It with these artists as a way to encourage a conversation that embraces women fully and without judgement. When we talk about the issues that the exhibitions revolve around, objectification, expectation, and inequality, we can find ourselves needing to take a deep breath and a step back. Exhaustion is involved, for sure, but these problems are important and we need to keep talking about them with strength behind our convictions,” says Gallery Co-Founder Sara McCorriston.
Lauren Rinaldi
Lauren Rinaldi (b. 1983) is an American artist living and working in Philadelphia, PA, where she received her BFA in Painting from the Tyler School of Art in 2006. Solo shows have included Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters (2015); At Arm’s Length (2014); and An Accidental Masterpiece // Found (2011), all at Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Philadelphia, PA. Select group shows include The Untitled Space, New York, NY; Sally Centigrade Gallery, Lakewood, CO; Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Philadelphia, PA; and James Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia, PA.
Danielle Clough
Danielle Clough is a South African artist who lives and works in Cape Town. She studied art direction and graphic design at The Red and Yellow School, and brings this sensibility to her vivid, richly illustrated visual art and craft pieces. Clough has been profiled by Instagram, Colossal, CNN, Vogue.com. Creative Boom and the Creators Project amongst others, while her work has been published in the New York Times T Magazine, Casa de Jardim, Couch Magazine, Evening Standard, Homespun and featured in various exhibitions across the country.
Suzanna Scott
Suzanna Scott (b. 1974) is an American artist who lives and works in Ruston, Louisiana. Her work has been exhibited nationally and can be found in private collections worldwide. Raised in Southeast Asia, Suzanna returned to the United States to attend college where she discovered her love of sculpture and has been working with her hands ever since. Suzanna's current work explores feminist themes and visual ideas that are in and of the body. She continues to work with a range of materials—stone, wax, fiber and paper and frequently incorporates found objects into her pieces.
Andrea Farina
Andrea Farina is an American artist who lives and works in Norwalk, CT. Known for her intricate embroideries and gouache paintings, her multidisciplinary practice explores the human body and its relationship to others and the world. She graduated from Syracuse University in 2008 with a BFA in Communication Design.
