Hunter Gatherer is the first presentation of Julie Heffernan’s paintings in New York in five years, and now on view P.P.O.W. Gallery. Her monumental self-portraits explore the effect of the daily inundation of images in contemporary culture, and how this shapes our identity. These new paintings unmask the male gaze inherent to the images in our patriarchal culture, and honor the women who have been excluded from the visual narrative since the Renaissance.
Contrasting history paintings like Jacques-Louis David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps and Luca Giordano’s Rape of the Sabines with film stills from Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita and Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Heffernan reveals how revered depictions of history and salacious pop culture can glorify violence, discrimination, and rape.
The show is on view through October 6, 2018.