GULGUN OF ALIRIZA: THE POETICS OF EXCESS Exhibition to Open 9/3 at Blue Mountain Gallery

BLUE MOUNTAIN GALLERY has announced the opening of Gulgun Aliriza's inaugural exhibition The Poetics of Excess, opening September 3, with a reception set foor September 5, 5-8 p.m. The show will run through September 28, 2013.

The show is comprised of a collection ofpaintings produced over the past several years. Aliriza's richly surfacedcanvases, bursting with intricate details directly from the motif, reflects aprocess that involves weeks, or sometimes months. Throughout these paintings there is a tensionbetween the intimate figurative content hidden beneath the surface and the boldformal qualities of her canvases celebrated by dynamic attributes of paint.

In Aliriza's vigorous and bold paintings, the viewer discoversfamiliar subject matter: the theme of still life and depictions of theartist's studio populated by the usual trappings-dolls, puppets, taxidermy, toys, books,plants, flowers, and an occasional figure. Consequently, thereis a narrative within each piece as the imagery reverberates and creates acumulative effect that surpasses the individual elements and invites the viewerto enter into this world of disquiet.

Although her work results from deep observations of thehistory of painting-from Velasquez, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Cezanne amongothers-her personal vision transcends classical notions of genre and narrativeas she invites viewers into a delicious domain of confident brush strokes witha new aesthetic. Ed McCormack in Gallery& Studio, June-August 2007 described her painting as "sumptuouslypalpable in thick, juicy pigment." He continued, "Although Aliriza's extremelytactile paint application can remind one of the British painter Frank Auerbach,her brushwork is more fluid in the manner of de Kooning and her forms have a wayof slipping in and out of abstraction."

Aliriza's paintings further the living traditionof known motif with her devotion to observing and depicting what is in front ofher as the artist along with her approach of seeing freshly the act of paintingand the power of direct expression.

GulgunAliriza received her BFA fromthe State University of New York at Purchase with Summa Cum Laude in 2005 andher MFA from Western Connecticut University in 2007. She is the recipient ofseveral grants and a residency program award. In 2007, she was an artist inresidence at the Vermont Studio Center. Aliriza has participated in numerousexhibitions throughout the Northeast. In 2013 her work was featured in The Power of Place, at The Hudson ValleyCenter for Contemporary Art.

For more information, visit the artist's website at www.gulgunaliriza.com. Gallery hours 11-6 Tuesday-Saturday.

Artwork: Fragmentation with a Tiger- Study #10, oil on canvas, 66 3/4 x 91 inches, 2012-13. Additional images at www.bluemountaingallery.org.