October 2011

SCOOP Studios in Charleston, SC, Offers Works by Karen Ann Myers

SCOOP Studios in Charleston, SC, will present the exhibit, A Room of Her Own, featuring works by Karen Ann Myers, on view Oct. 7 - 31, 2011. A reception will be held on Oct. 7, from 5-8pm.

In this new series of paintings, Myers continues to explore what it means to be a young woman in contemporary society. She investigates the psychological complexity of women through intimate observations in the bedroom. Myers’ large-scale paintings are inspired by the cult of beauty in contemporary mass media. Intricately painted, decorative interiors are invented, using collage techniques, to overwhelm and titillate the viewer.

While Myers’ solitary female figures are strong and confident in their sexuality, these paintings also offer a glimpse into the confusion and doubt felt by women in their moments alone. In this way, her paintings serve as psychological self-portraits. Each one is a reflection of feelings and experiences that she has gone through, and each is a projection of the progression of her moods and emotions while painting them. Through this projection and reflection of herself in her paintings, each work has a strong link with self-portraiture.

Myers is also interested in infusing these paintings with a true emphasis on sex and glamour inspired by the cult of beauty in contemporary mass media, and exploring how this world affects her central female figures. The duality of these three dimensional human forms and their flat intricately patterned surroundings is a juxtaposition that she enjoys emphasizing in her paintings. By highlighting the dualities of confident but hesitant women and flat but somewhat three-dimensional compositions, Myers strives to present a personal yet universal depiction of the world of women.

The title of the exhibition is inspired by famous English novelist and critic Virginia Woolf’s essay “A Room of One’s Own”.

Myers is a graduate of Boston University (MFA) and Michigan State University (BFA). A Room of Her Own is her third solo exhibition at SCOOP Studios. In addition to being an artist, she is the former executive director of Redux Contemporary Art Center, in Charleston and adjunct faculty at the College of Charleston, teaching in the Arts Management Department. Myers just became the Assistant Director at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art.

Myers has exhibited at LUIS de JESUS, Los Angeles, CA; Robert Steele Gallery, New York; Dalton Gallery, Agnes Scott College, Atlanta, GA; Danforth Museum of Art, MA; Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC; 808 Gallery, Boston; Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC; and (Scene) Metrospace, East Lansing, MI, among other venues.

For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/577-3292 or e-mail to (info@scoopcontemporary.com).

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