Richard Heller Gallery is pleased to present Gretchen Scherer: After Visiting Hours. This is Scherer's first solo exhibition with the gallery. This exhibition consists of a series of eight paintings based on historic homes and museums in England and Scotland that are open to the public.
"I begin each painting with a research process where I learn about the space and collect images from online, books, or sometimes from photos I take. I try to find a way to open up or change the space so it becomes something new. Something closer to how I feel about it or imagine the space to be. All the little paintings, sculptures, and furniture within the painting come from the actual collection and become the animated elements in an otherwise empty space. Some of the paintings in this show feel more empty and breathless and others feel very alive and playful. I think they oscilate between those two poles.
"In my work there's always been a tension between real life and the imagined. How the imaginary and the real relate to one another. Using places that are fixed and exist in the world in a certain way helps me to draw attention to this tension. The way our emotions and ideas about a space may influence the way we see it. But also how when we visit these historic places we can share in the experience. We are given glimpses of these spaces during visiting hours when they are at their best but there are other moments we don't get to see or experience within these places."—Gretchen Scherer
