Gabrielle Graessle – Balla Balla

Freight + Volume presents “Balla Balla”, an exhibition of recent paintings by Andalusia-based artist Gabrielle Graessle. The paintings of Swiss-born artist Gabrielle Graessle depict complex emotional and social realities with an almost hieroglyphic directness. Reveling in color and the use of spectacular, or otherwise unconventional materials (such as glitter), her wilding use of paint and pigment is tempered by a sense of minimalism which might be called austere — if not for the fact that her paintings are so childlike and fun.

Graessle’s work generally tends towards a formalism which generates its own symbology. Her allusions to themes like war, feminism, sexuality and love, are all expressed in ways that verge on abstraction. But this movement away from the particulars of experience to universal representations isn’t navigated arbitrarily. A continuous sense of lightness, play, exuberance radiates from her figures — even when the themes she’s working around might otherwise appear tragic.

Wielding riotous colors and graphitti-like language to communicate her singular vision, one of Graessle’s untitled pieces — composed of acrylics, spray paint and glitter — especially stands out for its quasi-mythic character. An off-centered horse constitutes the theme of the picture: as a figure, this horse almost seems on the brink of escaping from the dimensions of the frame. With an engorged head lolling against its leftmost edge, his overtly large presence lends the painting an almost comical aspect, while also suggesting the impossibility of escaping the illusive realm of paint and pigment into the spatial possibilities afforded by our everyday reality.

Gabrielle Graessle was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1956 and studied at Zurich University of the Arts. For 15 years, she was represented by various galleries in Switzerland. At the beginning of 2000, she and her partner emigrated to France and later Spain, where they built and redesigned old houses. In 2015, she settled down in Andalusia. She decided to immerse herself completely in her imaginary world again and to express herself in large format, colored, intuitive and figurative paintings. Her studio is located in an isolated group of old cottages – there are no distractions, and she can fully concentrate on her work in a secluded setting in nature. Recent exhibitions include Pulpo Gallery (Murnau am Staffelsee, Germany), Freight + Volume (New York, NY), Shitart Club (Los Angeles, CA), BEERS London (London, UK), and Alzueta Gallery (Barcelona, Spain). Her work is included in significant private collections worldwide.

Gallery hours Tue-Sat 11 am – 6 pm

Exhibition Duration 09 June – 15 July 2023

www.freightandvolume.com

Location:
Freight + Volume
39 Lispenard St.
10013 New York, NY
United States