This contemporary artwork features a minimalist composition of simple shapes and textures. The predominant visual elements are geometric forms, such as rectangular chocolate bars, circular candies, and abstract shapes reminiscent of hands or paws. The muted color palette of beige, gray, and pink creates a soothing and visually appealing contrast. The piece appears to explore the relationship between the natural and the artificial, with the handcrafted, organic-looking shapes juxtaposed against the more uniform, mass-produced chocolate forms. The artist's intention seems to be a playful yet thought-provoking commentary on the intersection of nature, consumerism, and the human experience. ...
Genesis Belanger orchestrates mise-en-scene settings from twisting everyday objects into psychologically charged idiosyncrasies. Working in ceramics, cast-concrete sculpture, installation and painting, she employs the vocabulary of 1950s American advertising and explores contexts of liminal spaces such as hotel lobbies, supermarkets and waiting rooms. Absent bodies are present through pastel-toned twisted hands holding mouths, eyes landing in soup, fingers sprouting from bouquets of flowers, burgers, beauty products and half-smoked cigarettes. Bridging Pop art and Surrealism, Belanger’s objects and scenes narrate capitalist myths, with symbols of contemporary culture presented as seducing and uncanny. Satisfying in their smooth shapes and tender colour, the artist’s works translate the dissatisfaction and anxiety caused by consumerist culture and its power structures.
Written by Goldsmiths CCA ...
Since 2009, François Ghebaly has presented an innovative, eclectic program of Los Angeles-based and international artists. With a history of identifying and championing diverse voices and emerging talent, the gallery’s roster has grown to include 27 artists and 2 artist estates, ranging from early career, such as Sharif Farrag and Ludovic Nkoth, to mid-career, like Christine Sun Kim, Meriem Bennani, Kelly Akashi, Farah Al Qasimi, and Genesis Belanger, to well established, including Sayre Gomez, Kathleen Ryan, Neïl Beloufa and Candice Lin as well as underground legends, like Patrick Jackson and Mike Kuchar. The gallery advances the reach of its artists’ visions by publishing exhibition catalogues and producing artist editions. Located since 2013 in a 12,000 square foot warehouse space in Downtown Los Angeles, the gallery is a mainstay of the burgeoning Arts District community, and recently expanded to New York's Lower East Side. François Ghebaly’s program demonstrates a commitment to challenging work across all media and to fostering the progressive, boundary-pushing practices of its artists. ...
