Dalle Ore SHINES alle ORE

The Affordable Art Fair in New York City boasts to be the place for collectors and art enthusiasts to discover and purchase quality contemporary art from emerging and mid-level artists. Like any art shown in a group, it is possible to find some excellent galleries showing cutting-edge, progressive art alongside some not so wise choices. In my opinion, the star of AAF NYC 2008 is the young French artist Corinne Dalle Ore.

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Mixed media works by Corinne Dalle Ore at the 2008 Affordable Art Fair, NYC.
Photography by Laura M. Kuah

Corinne Dalle Ore (b. 1969, Saint-Tropez) began painting in her hometown at the age of 14. Since then, she has studied art in the United States and at the Académie Charpentier (Paris). The artist then furthered her studies at the prestigious Ateliers de la Grande Chaumière, one of the most famous art schools in Paris. The Salon d’Art et d’Essai in Saint Tropez collaborated with Dalle Ore in 1998, as a part of the “Young Contemporary Artist” exhibition, and enabled her to sell 100+ paintings via auction in cities such as London, New York and Singapore. Dalle Ore is represented by Paris-based art gallery Envie d’Art, “a new generation art gallery” and has also exhibited extensively at various art fairs and galleries in London, Brussels, Glasglow and New York.

Inspired by the events and conditions of everyday existence, Corinne Dalle Ore creates a strong body of visually compelling paintings that are constantly evolving. Her art is centered on themes where body, text and form intertwine to echo a harmonious interpretation of daily living. Dalle Ore’s subject matter ranges from kitchen utensils to symbols of the fashion world, pop culture icons to famous cityscapes. These subjects are then rendered on the canvas alongside her elongated, hand-written typography. Sometimes ambiguous, most other times literal, the artist’s mode of expression is one that communicates directly, without the need for rigid interpretation.

London Portobello / 2008 / mixed media / 100 x 100 cm

Although Corinne’s oil on canvas works are colorful and strong, it is perhaps her mixed media works that stand out amongst others in her oeuvre. I am particularly fond of the series she painted of famous world cities, such as London, New York and Paris. Here, Corinne builds these large-scale paintings layer-by-layer, using scraps of newspaper until the original canvas (and whatever used to lie underneath) is obscured, changed and replaced. She then paints over the background and sets the stage for image to mingle with text. In London Portobello, 2008 (pictured above), the stylistic elements of this painting (raw “printed” typography, red tulips and the official symbol of London: the double decker bus) are combined to give the viewers an introspective look into the mind of a young French artist’s interpretation of London.

Another favorite subject matter of mine are the pop icons Dalle Ore uses in her work, such as the Frida Kahlo in the mixed media painting Diego Te Adoro, 2008 (pictured below). Here, Frida is seated like a goddess in the center of the canvas, in a cross-legged meditation position. Her hands are folded in her lap and eyes gazing out into space. She is depicted wearing a simple red robe over her more contemporary outfit of a black and white striped shirt under a neon pink jumper, complete with a long gold chain adorned with red and green jewels. Over the strips of newspaper in the background, Dalle Ore has added what appears to be painted, flowery wallpaper (grey and white), continuing her painted tulips motif (now in pink) around Frida. In her famous painted typography, the artist has also written the following message (to Diego Rivera) in Spanish: Diego, I adore you. We will never join ourselves, but always for Mexico. Though many consider this a tribute to the most influential Mexican artists in the history of art, one must also wonder if this painting shadows Corinne Dalle Ore’s own experience with her lover.

Diego Te Adoro / 2008 / mixed media / 100 x 100 cm

As empathetic beings, we feel compelled to make sense of how Corinne expresses her emotions visually. With little pictorial guidance, we make associations to help us better understand the artist and where she is coming from. Corinne does not believe in mass production, and prefers to let each painting speak for itself. She is a contemporary Toulouse-Lautrec, with the playful imagery of Keith Harring and the humor of Andy Warhol. Her work is vibrant, passionate and honest – indeed, great art that allows us to connect with the artist before we have a chance to think about why.


Sources:
http://www.enviedart.com (biography and photo gallery)
http://www.editionsbraun.fr (article on C.D.O.)

Envie D'art
29 Boulevard Raspail
Paris, 75007
France
tel: 33 6 09 65 49 35
catherine@enviedart.com
http://www.enviedart.com

Lent Journey 2007: Sonya Berg

Lent is the 40 day liturgical season in which the Church as a whole enters into an extended retreat. In Western Christianity, these forty days before Easter are typically marked by fasting and other acts of penance, in order to draw one towards a deeper relationship with God. Today, many Christians choose to give up a favorite food or drink (chocolate and alcohol tops these lists) during this time. They may also decide to take on a Lenten discipline instead, such as devotions, prayer or charity work in a variety of forms.


As an artist, Sonya Berg committed herself in exploring the tension between the hope and chaos of living daily during Lent 2007. For a period of 40 days total/6 days a week [not including Sundays], Berg challenged herself by making a collection of 4'' x 4'', abstract squares in a variety of materials and color. She wanted to intertwine the relationship between the art-making process and her personal faith that reflects the beauty of Creation in the imperfect world around us. The final outcome resulted in a beautifully coherent, mixed media body of works birthed out of daily meditation and the utmost discipline.


It is obvious that loads of diligence and hard work went into this project. Each day and square is different: some are more abstract that others; a few exude massive amounts of color, while others present a more monochromatic palate. Berg explains that her art-making process during the 40 days of Lent was not only birthed out of a state of personal meditation, prayer and scripture reading, but also with the audience in mind. These works also serve as a proclamation to presence of the Creator in her life, that art is of great matter and inspires change to help us engage in daily joys and suffering. In this exhibition, Berg has successfully bridged the cultural gap by creating art that is accessible to anyone's journey in life.


Berg's works from Lent Journey 2007 was recently on display at the Philadelphia Cathedral. This large Romanesque complex, built in the style of an early Christian basilica, was the appropriate venue for this exhibition. On opposite sides of the nave, starting from the left and working its way around the cathedral, passing the baptistry and to the right, Sonya Berg's 40 4'' x 4'' squares were mounted in 10 pairs of 4's on the walls. Just as the architectural design and furniture prods one to reclaim their Christian roots, the purposeful yet powerful positioning of Berg's artwork speaks to the journey of exploring the mysteries of faith, which is the call of God in each of our lives.

To see a slideshow from the show's opening, please click here.

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Sonya Berg graduated from Messiah College (Grantham, PA) in 2005 with a BA in Studio Art. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Studio Art at the University of Texas, Austin and has exhibited in churches, cafes and galleries nationwide. Though her style is constantly changing and evolving, Sonya specializes in abstract, mixed media painting and prints. For more information, please visit http://www.sonyaberg.com .