Palazzo Monti is glad to announce the second collaboration with curator Katy Hessel of The Great Women Artists, whose goal is to support ancient, modern and contemporary women artists. This year, Katy invites Sara Anstis, Somaya Critchlow, Charlotte Edey and Ella Walker. "I am delighted to be collaborating with Edoardo Monti for the second annual The Great Women Artists Residency at Palazzo Monti, featuring artists Sara Anstis, Somaya Critchlow, Charlotte Edey, and Ella Walker. When Edoardo approached me to curate a second residency, I wanted to exhibit artists whose painterly tones and styles emulated classicism, in both contrasting mediums and size. It is so exciting to see both large and smaller tapestry works, miniscule and larger paintings; and banner-like paintings hang in the 800 year-old space, set against the pastel-like hues of the palazzo's rich and opulent ceilings.Each artists' works exhibited in these rooms have reflected their time in the six-week residency. Sara's pastel works emulate the roofs of the buildings her studio faced; Ella's works adopt the town's Cosmati flooring; the rich history of Northern Italian painting and portraiture have influenced Somaya; and the palette used by Charlotte evokes the surreal-like Brescian sky. It is so exciting to see traces of the city and the artists' experience come together in this show. This collaboration follows on from a successful residency in 2018, featuring Kate Dunn, Antonia Showering, and Flora Yukhnovich – who have since gone on to exhibit at Victoria Miro and Stephen Friedman Gallery. "
Sara Anstis (b.1991) Sara is known for her pastel-based drawings of women in surreal and seductive places, and has been experimenting this time with oil paints whilst on the six-week residency, taking inspiration from the Brescian surroundings – from the opulent churches to the surreal rooftops. Fantastical and mischievous, Sara's at times sexualised paintings are often set in a dreamlike, mountainous backdrop that dip in and out of her electrical-like shading. Included in this exhibition is one large painting, and two smaller pastels that emulate the artist's surreal imagery that blend gendered subjectivity and the female experience with mythologies and humour.
Somaya Critchlow (b.1993) Working predominately on a smaller scale in both drawing and oil on canvas, Somaya’s icon-like works depict bold female characters that subvert cultural expectations of race, gender and power in the history of art. Adopting historical and classical traits from the likes of Rembrandt to David Lynch films – as well as still life painters with her projections of grapes – Somaya situates her figures in an atmospheric and often non-descript background that allows the viewer to imagine a time and place for the subject. For this exhibition the artist has included nude works, a minscule-scale painting of a pair of shoes; as well as a small rellic-like work of grapes, situated above an altar-esque mantelpiece in dialogue with the classical frescos.
Charlotte Edey (b.1992) Working in the top floor studio, Charlotte has been heavily influenced by the pastel-like palette and surroundings of the Northern Italian town Brescia when making her current works – in particular it’s surrealist moonrise that adheres to the artist’s soft paletted aesthetic. Creating tapestry, hand-embroidery and drawings, Charlotte has developed on strong previous themes of symmetrical and celestial realms that explore a desire for harmony and balance. Drawing from the idea of altar panels and spiritural altars, Charlotte has enhanced the relic-like aspect of these works by framing the smaller and more intricate tapestries as if they were 'objects of desire'. The two-dimensional space is further interrupted with the addition of hand-sewn pearls and thread.
Sara Anstis (b.1991) Sara is known for her pastel-based drawings of women in surreal and seductive places, and has been experimenting this time with oil paints whilst on the six-week residency, taking inspiration from the Brescian surroundings – from the opulent churches to the surreal rooftops. Fantastical and mischievous, Sara's at times sexualised paintings are often set in a dreamlike, mountainous backdrop that dip in and out of her electrical-like shading. Included in this exhibition is one large painting, and two smaller pastels that emulate the artist's surreal imagery that blend gendered subjectivity and the female experience with mythologies and humour.
Ella Walker (b.1993) Rich in narrative colour, Ella Walker's long thin and banner-like works created whilst on residence at Palazzo Monti reference Carnivalesque, religious and historical figures – from St Margaret to Mary Madgalene. Situated in a myriad of poses inspired by both Lisa Brice and Dame Laura Knight, Ella's seductive and playful figures evoke a rich narrative, as if they were cast in a medieval play or Italian opera. Looking at the faces found in the cornices of Brescian churches, Cosmati-style flooring, as well as the pale green adopted from the artist's studio window frames, Walker also draws influence from Fellini's Baroque-style films and hidden memento mori, resulting in resplendent large and small-format works.
Sara Anstis (b.1991) Sara is known for her pastel-based drawings of women in surreal and seductive places, and has been experimenting this time with oil paints whilst on the six-week residency, taking inspiration from the Brescian surroundings – from the opulent churches to the surreal rooftops. Fantastical and mischievous, Sara's at times sexualised paintings are often set in a dreamlike, mountainous backdrop that dip in and out of her electrical-like shading. Included in this exhibition is one large painting, and two smaller pastels that emulate the artist's surreal imagery that blend gendered subjectivity and the female experience with mythologies and humour.
Ella Walker (b.1993) Rich in narrative colour, Ella Walker's long thin and banner-like works created whilst on residence at Palazzo Monti reference Carnivalesque, religious and historical figures – from St Margaret to Mary Madgalene. Situated in a myriad of poses inspired by both Lisa Brice and Dame Laura Knight, Ella's seductive and playful figures evoke a rich narrative, as if they were cast in a medieval play or Italian opera. Looking at the faces found in the cornices of Brescian churches, Cosmati-style flooring, as well as the pale green adopted from the artist's studio window frames, Walker also draws influence from Fellini's Baroque-style films and hidden memento mori, resulting in resplendent large and small-format works.
Somaya Critchlow (b.1993) Working predominately on a smaller scale in both drawing and oil on canvas, Somaya’s icon-like works depict bold female characters that subvert cultural expectations of race, gender and power in the history of art. Adopting historical and classical traits from the likes of Rembrandt to David Lynch films – as well as still life painters with her projections of grapes – Somaya situates her figures in an atmospheric and often non-descript background that allows the viewer to imagine a time and place for the subject. For this exhibition the artist has included nude works, a minscule-scale painting of a pair of shoes; as well as a small rellic-like work of grapes, situated above an altar-esque mantelpiece in dialogue with the classical frescos.
Somaya Critchlow (b.1993) Working predominately on a smaller scale in both drawing and oil on canvas, Somaya’s icon-like works depict bold female characters that subvert cultural expectations of race, gender and power in the history of art. Adopting historical and classical traits from the likes of Rembrandt to David Lynch films – as well as still life painters with her projections of grapes – Somaya situates her figures in an atmospheric and often non-descript background that allows the viewer to imagine a time and place for the subject. For this exhibition the artist has included nude works, a minscule-scale painting of a pair of shoes; as well as a small rellic-like work of grapes, situated above an altar-esque mantelpiece in dialogue with the classical frescos.
Somaya Critchlow (b.1993) Working predominately on a smaller scale in both drawing and oil on canvas, Somaya’s icon-like works depict bold female characters that subvert cultural expectations of race, gender and power in the history of art. Adopting historical and classical traits from the likes of Rembrandt to David Lynch films – as well as still life painters with her projections of grapes – Somaya situates her figures in an atmospheric and often non-descript background that allows the viewer to imagine a time and place for the subject. For this exhibition the artist has included nude works, a minscule-scale painting of a pair of shoes; as well as a small rellic-like work of grapes, situated above an altar-esque mantelpiece in dialogue with the classical frescos.
Somaya Critchlow (b.1993) Working predominately on a smaller scale in both drawing and oil on canvas, Somaya’s icon-like works depict bold female characters that subvert cultural expectations of race, gender and power in the history of art. Adopting historical and classical traits from the likes of Rembrandt to David Lynch films – as well as still life painters with her projections of grapes – Somaya situates her figures in an atmospheric and often non-descript background that allows the viewer to imagine a time and place for the subject. For this exhibition the artist has included nude works, a minscule-scale painting of a pair of shoes; as well as a small rellic-like work of grapes, situated above an altar-esque mantelpiece in dialogue with the classical frescos.
Charlotte Edey (b.1992) Working in the top floor studio, Charlotte has been heavily influenced by the pastel-like palette and surroundings of the Northern Italian town Brescia when making her current works – in particular it’s surrealist moonrise that adheres to the artist’s soft paletted aesthetic. Creating tapestry, hand-embroidery and drawings, Charlotte has developed on strong previous themes of symmetrical and celestial realms that explore a desire for harmony and balance. Drawing from the idea of altar panels and spiritural altars, Charlotte has enhanced the relic-like aspect of these works by framing the smaller and more intricate tapestries as if they were 'objects of desire'. The two-dimensional space is further interrupted with the addition of hand-sewn pearls and thread.
Charlotte Edey (b.1992) Working in the top floor studio, Charlotte has been heavily influenced by the pastel-like palette and surroundings of the Northern Italian town Brescia when making her current works – in particular it’s surrealist moonrise that adheres to the artist’s soft paletted aesthetic. Creating tapestry, hand-embroidery and drawings, Charlotte has developed on strong previous themes of symmetrical and celestial realms that explore a desire for harmony and balance. Drawing from the idea of altar panels and spiritural altars, Charlotte has enhanced the relic-like aspect of these works by framing the smaller and more intricate tapestries as if they were 'objects of desire'. The two-dimensional space is further interrupted with the addition of hand-sewn pearls and thread.
Charlotte Edey (b.1992) Working in the top floor studio, Charlotte has been heavily influenced by the pastel-like palette and surroundings of the Northern Italian town Brescia when making her current works – in particular it’s surrealist moonrise that adheres to the artist’s soft paletted aesthetic. Creating tapestry, hand-embroidery and drawings, Charlotte has developed on strong previous themes of symmetrical and celestial realms that explore a desire for harmony and balance. Drawing from the idea of altar panels and spiritural altars, Charlotte has enhanced the relic-like aspect of these works by framing the smaller and more intricate tapestries as if they were 'objects of desire'. The two-dimensional space is further interrupted with the addition of hand-sewn pearls and thread.
Charlotte Edey (b.1992) Working in the top floor studio, Charlotte has been heavily influenced by the pastel-like palette and surroundings of the Northern Italian town Brescia when making her current works – in particular it’s surrealist moonrise that adheres to the artist’s soft paletted aesthetic. Creating tapestry, hand-embroidery and drawings, Charlotte has developed on strong previous themes of symmetrical and celestial realms that explore a desire for harmony and balance. Drawing from the idea of altar panels and spiritural altars, Charlotte has enhanced the relic-like aspect of these works by framing the smaller and more intricate tapestries as if they were 'objects of desire'. The two-dimensional space is further interrupted with the addition of hand-sewn pearls and thread.
Ella Walker (b.1993) Rich in narrative colour, Ella Walker's long thin and banner-like works created whilst on residence at Palazzo Monti reference Carnivalesque, religious and historical figures – from St Margaret to Mary Madgalene. Situated in a myriad of poses inspired by both Lisa Brice and Dame Laura Knight, Ella's seductive and playful figures evoke a rich narrative, as if they were cast in a medieval play or Italian opera. Looking at the faces found in the cornices of Brescian churches, Cosmati-style flooring, as well as the pale green adopted from the artist's studio window frames, Walker also draws influence from Fellini's Baroque-style films and hidden memento mori, resulting in resplendent large and small-format works.
ph. Petrò Gilberti
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