Cabinet de l'Art | Lizzie Joyce Pearl

As part of its vocation to present emerging talents, The Switch announces its upcoming exhibition: “The line” by Lizzie Joyce Pearl. The show’s highlight is a large-format canvas carrying the artist’s signature: a single and unique line overlapped by the construction of dense pigmented textures.

"The Line" is an invitation to immerse yourself in the Artist’s inner labyrinths, leading to a fundamental question: is the result part of an unconscious drawing’s flow or premeditated mechanical movements?
The complexity of Lizzie's work lies in the conflict between imaginative fluidity and restraint of gesture. Throughout the making of the works’ foundations, the paths she covers hold an intricate symbology: from the abstract representation of a nomadic childhood, to a conscious psychological cartography. Each respond as beaten tracks of her past and personal pursuits. An opaque layer of painting completes the work’s composition, bringing a color profusion. Avoiding the use of paintbrushes allows Lizzie to gain momentums of freedom. By forming multicolor textures in contrast with her predominant black on white backgrounds, emerge instants of lightness.

The mix of techniques is also present in the second work on display: the largest drawing ever made by Lizzie, (nine square meters), gave rise to a sculpture. The paper’s irregular movements emphasize the illusionistic effects pursued by the Artist. Excitement and intensity transpires in the forms created by this medium: the optical vibrations of the continuous line are enhanced by the volume gained with the paper. Here, the work makes us reflect on the instance of time, as an invitation to approach and to penetrate the artist's solitary work. To help the audience get into Lizzie's work process, a video records its unique design, following the lines’ genesis, with a back and forth repetition.

Lizzie's works arouse an instant identification, acting as her fingerprints or as a calligraphy composed from childhood memories. Over them, color interventions superimpose the incessant line, evoking bright energies. Of French-Portuguese origins, Lizzie Joyce Pearl spent most of her life in France and currently works in Lisbon. Since an early age her interest for Visual Arts grew, as she was influenced by her grandfather, a painter himself. Lizzie studied Fashion at the ESMOD Lyon, where she dedicated herself to patterns and techniques of textile design, sharpening her vision of aesthetic experience and chromatic compositions. She has since then joined group shows in public and private spaces.

Lizzie Joyce Pearl’s first solo show will open on Friday 14th April 2017, from 7pm to 10pm, and will be open until April 29th at The Switch (Rua Heróis de Quionga 54D), by appointments only.

The show is part of The Switch's Cabinet de l'Art, which has hosted works by Skoya Assémat-Tessandier and Lorraine Mahot in short-term exhibitions with only one artwork/series by a single artist. In 2017, the program will present works by French Artist Sébastien Zanella, Portuguese Gonçalo Preto, Russian Anzhelika Ishkova, among others.

For further information and booking, visit www.theswitchgallery.com or write to info@theswitchgallery.com