Jennybird Alcantara: Reveries of the Untamed Darlings

Jennybird Alcantara - Reveries of the Untamed Darlings
Exhibition Dates: March 17th – April 14th, 2018
Opening Reception: Saturday March 17, 7-10pm // RSVP to [email protected]
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 12 – 6pm

KP Projects is proud to present Jennybird Alcantara's latest solo show "Reveries of the Untamed Darlings", a curious and contemplative revelation down the winding path.

Rich, detailed, and enigmatic oil paintings explore themes of the natural, instinctual part of humans, animals, and nature itself. Serving as porthole views into unseen places, this duality of space reveals moments frozen in time where roles are exchanged between the characters and species of the landscape. "Reveries" is an epic fantasy, where the untamed are the gatekeepers of the mysterious beyond.

Jennybird's paintings teem with anthropomorphic hybridized creatures and botanicals that serve as an extension of the connectedness of nature that draw the viewer deeper and deeper into their world. Animals don human masks and contemplate their own dual natures. A winged lamb is protected by pensive women in feathered snake bodies while being menaced by foxes below. Is the feral creature retrieving a renegade heart, or stealing it from its protected landscape? The artist’s creatures also seem to exchange mysterious gifts. In these tableaux, the currency is typically the heart, soul and consciousness. The representations of that currency explore a power exchange between beings, with multi-layered interpretations.

Several works are inspired by classical Still Life, but rather than static, they are Still Life with teeth. Beings exist in a suspended state, causing one to wonder if they are asleep and dreaming or if they have peacefully transitioned to another realm. Others have a feeling of rich naturalist renderings, where beautiful Chimera and mythological creatures enter a fanciful paradise.

"Reveries of the Untamed Darlings" imparts a tenebrous atmosphere where shadows and light lead to hidden destinations through lush botanical tapestries. Within this mysterious world, Jennybird's iconic beings: naked hearts, armored animals, masked humans and hybrids, all invite the viewer to enter portals to the subconscious, surreal and the sublime.