Monya Rowe Gallery is excited to announce we have relocated to 504 West 22nd Street, Second Floor. The gallery will open in this new location on November 8 with a group exhibition of gallery artists featuring painting, drawing and sculpture.

Larissa Bates’ small detailed gouache drawings continue to investigate gender identity and socio political themes through the use of a reoccurring image of young wrestlers in bucolic landscapes. The wrestlers represent the artists’ adaptation of an archetypal male; one that proudly possess both masculine and feminine characteristics. Bates lives and works in Brooklyn.

Subtlety reflecting upon politics, religion and social themes Kevin Christy’s collage and mixed media drawings are poetic intentionally sparse compositions. In these new works, Christy compares intent or theory with outcome. For instance, in Untitled (2008) a crucifix is mirrored along with five sets of scrutinizing eyes. It is a reflection of an idea questioning itself  - in this case, the Christian church – and its’ integrity. Christy is a Los Angeles-based artist. He will have a solo exhibition at Hope Gallery, Los Angeles this month.

The paintings of Angela Dufresne, infused with unsettling bold hues, weave in and out of abstraction and representation. Ostensibly of another time, each unabashedly romanticized scene is often infused with facets of architecture or film. Preferring to focus on mood and ambiance through reflection rather than focusing on a distinct singular narrative, each subject is rendered in Dufresne’s idiosyncratic vigorous painting style. Dufresne recently had a solo exhibition at Kinkead Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA; her upcoming group exhibitions include: “Form and Story: Narration in Recent Painting", University of Richmond Museums, Richmond, VA; "Masters of Reality", The Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University, Boston, MA, Curated by Joe Wardwell and "Painting The Glass House", The Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, CA (traveling exhibition which originated at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, CT), and a solo exhibition at Monya Rowe Gallery in April 2009. Dufresne lives and works in Brooklyn.

The protagonists in Vera Iliatova’s paintings, most often women, are purposely placed in moody ambiguous settings. The shifting light and arrangements of the characters makes it difficult to determine a specific narrative. It is only after closely observing the gestures and placements of the subjects that oblique sentiments begin to unravel. Iliatova will have her second solo exhibition at Monya Rowe Gallery in February 2009. The artist lives and works in Brooklyn.                    

Using a straightforward anecdote as a metaphor for investigating ones internal dialogue, Abigail Lazkoz’s series of ink drawings, titled To The River, focus on a group of characters searching for a place to bathe in a natural environment. The central characters, seemingly carefree, are thrust in to a formally structured environment comprised of colorless lines and shapes. The disorienting composition of the unnatural landscape further contributes to a sense of displacement and anxiety. Lazkoz’s work was recently exhibited at The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao and is currently on view at Espacio Marzana Gallery also in Bilbao. Lazkoz is a Spanish artist who lives and works in Brooklyn.

 Amy Longenecker-Brown harks back to the era of popinjay clubs with intense scrutiny by examining upper class preoccupations – such as hunting, property, and marriage - in Victorian England. Her quiet paintings subtlety investigates the underlying thread of superficiality and posturing surrounding the male ego of an 18th century dandy. Religion, a constant theme in Longenecker-Brown’s work, is examined with the same scrutiny. The playful tone humbles the male ego and the purity of the church. Longenecker-Brown will have her second solo exhibition at Monya Rowe Gallery in May 2009.  She lives and works in Brooklyn.

Peter Pezzimenti presents a series of four small paintings. Echoing the solitude of minimalist work, each painting depicts one line and one circle carefully arranged to imply a certain magnitude of weight. Pezzimenti’s loose handling of the paint and quirky signature style contribute to the strong presence each small painting exudes. Pezzimenti lives and works in Brooklyn.

Eliminating resin and foam present in previous works, Mark Schubert’s new elegant floor sculpture, titled Blue Barrel Flower, is comprised of a twisted and warped 55-gallon metal drum.  Formally constructed, the aggressive tone of the work is mediated by an elegant composition; even the title suggests a juxtaposition of conventional beauty with an industrial element. A focus on balance – or apparent lack of – contributes to the awkwardness, anxiety and tension continuously present in Schubert’s work.

The gallery is closed for Thanksgiving Holiday from November 27 – 28 and for the Winter Holiday from December 23 – January 3, 2009. We will reopen with a new exhibition on January 8.