De/Feat and Drawings: Sandroni Rey Gallery, Los Angeles
Sara Greenberger Rafferty
De/Feat
November 4, 2006 - January 10, 2007
Rafferty’s work combines the traditions of comedy and popular entertainment with the keen visual vocabulary of conceptual art. Rafferty borrows heavily from theatre, using elements such as stage props and sets to create work that plays off of practical jokes, gags and the absurd.
Rafferty’s video "De/Feat" (2005) documents a 12-minute performance in which the artist attempts to put on a standard-issue straitjacket all by herself. The video teeters on the verge of hilarity, all the while subtly alluding to the polemics of mental institutions and the art of illusion. In a reversal of the classic Houdini escape, Rafferty enacts an equally challenging stunt. The earnest effort is compelling. The spectacle of seeing a young woman trying to restrain herself is equal parts hysterical and pathetic, and the end result is slapstick torture of the most incredible and pitiable proportions.
In addition to the video, a selection of recent drawings will also be on view. Based on historical photographs, prints, and performance documentation and almost exclusively black-and-white, Rafferty’s drawings depict morphine injections, pies-in-the-face, levitation, rage, and other acts
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De/Feat, 2005Digital video12 minutes, with sound -
Bessie Love, 2006Charcoal14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
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Le Morphinomane Assasin, 2006Paint on paper14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
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Levitate Me, 2006Charcoal11 x 14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
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Pie Fight, 2006Charcoal14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
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On the Chin with a Grin, 2006Charcoal8 1/2 x 6 in
21.6 x 15.2 cm -
Mary and Rhoda, 2005Watercolor14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
Sara Greenberger Rafferty
Defeat and Drawings
November 4 – December 22, 2006
Opening reception: Saturday, November 4, 2006, 6-8 pm
Sandroni Rey is pleased to present De/Feat, an exhibition of video and drawings by artist Sara Greenberger Rafferty. This will be Rafferty’s first solo exhibition at Sandroni Rey.
Rafferty’s video De/Feat (2005) documents a 12-minute performance in which the artist attempts to put on a standard-issue straitjacket all by herself. In a reversal of the classic Houdini escape, she enacts an equally challenging stunt. As hysterical as it is sad to see a young woman trying to restrain herself, the earnest effort is compelling. The result is a slapstick torture of the most pathetic and remarkable proportions.
In addition to the video, a selection of recent drawings will also be on view. Based on historical photographs, prints, and performance documentation and almost exclusively black-and-white, the drawings depict morphine injections, pies-in-the-face, levitation, rage, and other acts.
Sara Greenberger Rafferty’s work was recently featured in a solo project room at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, New York. She has also exhibited work in group shows in New York, Los Angeles, New Zealand, and Italy. She received a BFA in Photography from RISD and an MFA in Sculpture and New Genres from Columbia University. She is co-editor, with Matt Keegan, of the annual artists’ publication North Drive Press, an adjunct professor, and occasionally writes about comedy.
For further information, please contact the gallery at 310.280.0111 or visit our website at www.sandronirey.com. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm, or by appointment.