| Elaine Cameron-Weir | snake with sexual interest in own tail
March 12 – April 30, 2016 VENUS 601 S. Anderson Street Los Angeles, CA 90023 |
| (Los Angeles) March 9, 2016 – VENUS Los Angeles is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by Elaine Cameron-Weir. The new body of work will expand upon the artist’s interest in the natural world, and its reinterpretation with industrial materials.
Often described as “cinematic,” Cameron-Weir’s sculptures have been likened to props from a dystopian film. Spanning a wide variety of media and subject matter, the sculptures in the exhibition can be characterized by a union of ostensibly irreconcilable thematic elements. The works conflate the natural and the industrial, uniting seemingly opposing themes within a singular object. First, a six-foot-tall curved adobe wall adorned with neon sculptures immediately confronts the viewers as they enter the exhibition. The wall—Cameron-Weir’s response to the vast 14,500 square foot gallery—both divides the space and tempers the viewer’s interaction with the works within. Second, a series of hanging works entitled Snake are made of small hand cut copper “scales,” individually enameled and fastened to a length of chain metal screen. Mapped directly from the stomach of an actual snake, the pieces are draped over beams and counterweighted with sandbags. Third, Cameron-Weir fills a stainless steel hydrotherapy tub with white sand, atop which sits a “lead jacket,” made from sheets of solid lead and steel wire. Finally, a terrazzo stone desk in two parts cut to resemble a set of butterfly wings topped two neon lights will continue Cameron-Weir’s interest in creating fine art objects with utilitarian value. The work includes a mortar and pestle, used to crush raw frankincense that burns above a low flame on the desk, emitting a soothing scent intended to engage the viewer on multiple sensory levels. Elaine Cameron-Weir (b. 1985) is a Canadian artist who is primarily known for her sculptures. Classically trained in both fine art and jewelry design, Cameron-Weir belongs to a generation of young New York-based sculptors including Andra Ursuta, Borna Sammak, and Charles Harlan with a sophisticated interest in and engagement with material. ABOUT VENUS Founded in 2012 by Adam Lindemann, VENUS’ Manhattan space is dedicated to curated exhibitions both historic and contemporary, which seek to cast a unique and often iconoclastic view on the work of established artists or artists whose works have been somewhat overlooked. The gallery continues to collaborate with prominent artists, foundations, estates, and galleries. VENUS’ Los Angeles gallery opened in May of 2015 and features a primary program in its 14,500 square foot exhibition space in the Downtown Arts District. 601 SOUTH ANDERSON STREET LOS ANGELES, CA 90023 (323) 980 9000 |
