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Christiane Pooley “Distance”
Gallery 38
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Artists
Christiane Pooley
Faceless figures appear and disappear in abstract landscapes that oscillate on the border between reality and dream. These are the paintings of Christian Pooley, who explores “place” as a physical environment and “place” as an emotional state that transcends time and geographical boundaries. In her first solo exhibition at Gallery38 in Tokyo, Pooley will present a new body of work entitled “Distance”, which explores the concepts of dislocation and absence.
Pooley’s work is deeply rooted in her own explorations of place, while also capturing the complexity of her own hometown. She was born and raised in Araucanía in southern Chile, which became a national territory in the late 19th century through military occupation and colonization. Since then, the conflict between indigenous peoples and settlers, who were forced to assimilate into the newly constructed Chilean identity, is still ongoing, causing complex debates over identity, land ownership, and sense of belonging.
Pooley’s use of photographs documenting her own family allows him to present Chile’s complex history in a way that is relatable and non-confrontational. “I’m interested in our relationship with distance,” says Pooley, “being physically separated from friends, family, and home, and the void between past memories and the present.” In this series, she focuses on how we use technology to build relationships in the absence of physical connection, while also addressing the ongoing effects of the pandemic. While the vertical composition of the painting evokes the screen of a cell phone, which is becoming a kind of gateway to intimate relationships, not limited to video calls, messages, and social media, the materiality of the paint and visible brushstrokes evoke its physical presence. The stored images are also abstracted in the process of painting, merging with the artist’s memories and experiences to create a poetic, uncertain space where figures and landscapes overlap, blurring and sometimes erasing each other. For example, in the piece titled “Summer,” two children appear to be half-swallowed by a green brushstroke. The title of the work and the soft color palette guide the viewer’s understanding of the scene, but the absence of a specific context or temporality encourages further emotional involvement.
Pooley’s work expresses a tense yet haunting beauty as if glimpses of vivid and intimate memories are interrupted in the process of fading away.
Pooley’s work is deeply rooted in her own explorations of place, while also capturing the complexity of her own hometown. She was born and raised in Araucanía in southern Chile, which became a national territory in the late 19th century through military occupation and colonization. Since then, the conflict between indigenous peoples and settlers, who were forced to assimilate into the newly constructed Chilean identity, is still ongoing, causing complex debates over identity, land ownership, and sense of belonging.
Pooley’s use of photographs documenting her own family allows him to present Chile’s complex history in a way that is relatable and non-confrontational. “I’m interested in our relationship with distance,” says Pooley, “being physically separated from friends, family, and home, and the void between past memories and the present.” In this series, she focuses on how we use technology to build relationships in the absence of physical connection, while also addressing the ongoing effects of the pandemic. While the vertical composition of the painting evokes the screen of a cell phone, which is becoming a kind of gateway to intimate relationships, not limited to video calls, messages, and social media, the materiality of the paint and visible brushstrokes evoke its physical presence. The stored images are also abstracted in the process of painting, merging with the artist’s memories and experiences to create a poetic, uncertain space where figures and landscapes overlap, blurring and sometimes erasing each other. For example, in the piece titled “Summer,” two children appear to be half-swallowed by a green brushstroke. The title of the work and the soft color palette guide the viewer’s understanding of the scene, but the absence of a specific context or temporality encourages further emotional involvement.
Pooley’s work expresses a tense yet haunting beauty as if glimpses of vivid and intimate memories are interrupted in the process of fading away.
Schedule | Sep 23 (Thu) 2021-Nov 14 (Sun) 2021 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||||
| Venue | Gallery 38 http://www.gallery-38.com/  | ||||||
| Location | 101 Harajuku Homes, 2-30-28 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 | ||||||
| Access | 6 minute walk from exit 2 at Kitasando Station on the Fukutoshin line, 8 minute walk from the Takeshita exit of Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote line. | ||||||
| Phone | 03-6721-1505 | ||||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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