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| Femke Hiemstra and Junko Mizuno |
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| Click HERE to see the whole show online |
Roq La Rue Gallery
presents
Femke Hiemstra
"Bonjour, Dachshund!"
new paintings
and
Junko Mizuno
"Desert Woman"
new paintings
opens Friday December 11th 6-9pm
Femke Hiemstra’s meticulously tight, jewel like mixed media paintings and exquisitely rendered black and white drawings are homes to a dark fairytale land where inanimate objects come to life and frolic with animal neighbors. Lollipops become ship captains, strawberries become giant wrestlers, and vegetables become Halloween gods with lantern eyes. Femke occasionally uses typography in her work, using words from various languages and letters in her paintings to further enhance the narrative while still retaining a playful sense of mystery, or as a visual device to frame in the scenery, as if you were looking at her world through a secret window. She also uses found objects to paint on, such as boxes and wrappers, to create imaginary products with magical properties.
Drawing from a range of influences, from firework wrappers to Japanese woodblock prints, Femke’s use of both pop culture detritus and child-like fantasy create a vibrant playground for the imagination, with each piece looking like a portal for a fantastic adventure, which is left up to the viewer to imagine the story that lies inside.
Femke lives in Amsterdam where she also has a thriving career in illustration. She is has just released an art book of her work entitled "Rock Candy".
Junko Mizuno is a painter/illustrator who is well known for her sexy/cute/grotesque portraits of very naughty girls playfully interacting with fanciful toy like animals and devilish imps. Her work is sometimes referred to as "Gothic-Kawaii" or "Kawaii-Noir" for it's mix of pretty, doll like characters and sometimes horrific subject matter. While definitely influenced by the big eyed manga sensibilities of her native Japan, her work is also contains a very psychedelic element with it's softened day glo color palette and hazy, dreamlike effect and compositions.
Junko has an art book called "Hell Babies" and has also illustrated several graphic novels in her singular compelling style.
Please join us Friday Dec 11th 6-9 for the opening party. Both artists will be in attendance!
* Femke will be doing an additional book signing at Fantagraphics in Seattle on Dec. 12th. Info can be found here |
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