Leisure has taken on new meaning this year. Where we often consider leisure as an adjunct to our routines, a respite to refuel personal batteries and clear the mind, COVID blotted out many options for relaxation, so we’ve invented new ways to chill even as “chill” was the only thing we could do. The murder of George Floyd and subsequent social justice protests remind us that a life with room for leisure, where there is time, in the words of Walt Whitman, to “loaf and invite my sould” is reserved for a few and actively policed for others. This year has made us think of space and rest in ways not normally discussed in the artworld, or even among friends, it's been fascinating to watch the evolution.
Atlanta-based painter Monica Kim Garza, whose parents were born in Korea and Mexico, often paints people of color in acts of sport, relaxation and rest. The beautiful, raw works channel the elegant palette and figuration of Gauguin in some respects, but nuanced with a contemporary voice. Her newest exhibition, Closer, on view now at V1 Gallery in Copenhagen, feels like a new chapter in Garza’s career; more personal, intimate and more a reflection of how 2020 has informed her artistry. Addressing the emotions of an artist working in isolation, are “Cycles of intense being, joy, despair, love, frustration and careful optimism are shattered by pessimism, and then briefly relieved by hope.” The first body of Closer consists of large-scale pastose portraits painted in vivid oil colours, accented by metallic acrylics, while the second consists of smaller paintings and works on paper, depicting social scenes and Dionysian pleasure, and as you absorb the art and characters within, it becomes clear that each persona, seemingly identical, all represent the artist herself. This show brings one Closer to the self through isolation and a longing to be freed.
Nietzsche believed we needed the dichotomies of logic and chaos, structure and unbridled pleasure, to exist. For Garza, this is a subconscious exploration of all our emotions, and yet contemplated and visualized in a personal manner. From her transformations as a painter of leisure and exotic scenes to her most personal works to date, Garza continues to be one of our favorite painters, and one with a unique perspective on her own body in the shadow of 2020. Closer is a knock-out. —Evan Pricco
