Projects 88: Lucy McKenzie
10 Sep - 01 Dec 2008
Installation view of the exhibition, "Projects 88: Lucy McKenzie"
September 10, 2008–December 1, 2008. IN2050.2. Photograph by Jonathan Muzikar.
September 10, 2008–December 1, 2008. IN2050.2. Photograph by Jonathan Muzikar.
Second floor
Combining painting, printmaking, and drawing with public events such as concerts, poetry readings, and performances, Lucy McKenzie (b. 1977, Glasgow) goes far beyond the production of objects in her artistic practice. With the Polish artist Paulina Olowska, she operated a nightclub in Warsaw for a month in 2003. The club emulated early twentieth-century artist societies and salons, where improvisation and artist camaraderie served as a catalyst for new forms of social experience. Her explorations of collectivism, vernacular architecture, and global culture question the politics of representation and confront how women have historically been portrayed in the media. For her debut exhibition at MoMA, McKenzie, with the help of fashion artist Beca Lipscombe and designer Bernie Reid, transforms gallery space into a turn-of-the-century setting for the display of her own paintings and prints, which were recently acquired by MoMA.
Projects 88: Lucy McKenzie presents newly acquired paintings and prints by the Brussels-based Scottish artist (b. Glasgow, 1977). For the display of these works, McKenzie collaborated with illustrator Bernie Reid (b. Stirling, Scotland, 1972) and fashion designer Beca Lipscombe (b. Edinburgh, 1973) to create a turn-of-the-century décor. In 2007 the three artists started the interior decoration company Atelier, whose purpose is to design public and private social spaces. McKenzie commissioned Atelier to create the present installation, which mixes styles of ornament from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The stenciled carpet on the floor derives from design motifs by Gothic Revival architect Augustus Pugin, while the mural paintings in the rear gallery take their inspiration from Art Nouveau architect Paul Hankar. While Lipscombe has a background in textile printing and Reid is a self-taught artist, McKenzie recently returned to school in order to master the technique of trompe l'oeil painting for this installation. In 2008 she completed a course of traditional study at the Van Der Kelen Institute for decorative painting in Brussels.
The exhibition is organized by Christophe Cherix, Curator of Prints and Illustrated Books.
Combining painting, printmaking, and drawing with public events such as concerts, poetry readings, and performances, Lucy McKenzie (b. 1977, Glasgow) goes far beyond the production of objects in her artistic practice. With the Polish artist Paulina Olowska, she operated a nightclub in Warsaw for a month in 2003. The club emulated early twentieth-century artist societies and salons, where improvisation and artist camaraderie served as a catalyst for new forms of social experience. Her explorations of collectivism, vernacular architecture, and global culture question the politics of representation and confront how women have historically been portrayed in the media. For her debut exhibition at MoMA, McKenzie, with the help of fashion artist Beca Lipscombe and designer Bernie Reid, transforms gallery space into a turn-of-the-century setting for the display of her own paintings and prints, which were recently acquired by MoMA.
Projects 88: Lucy McKenzie presents newly acquired paintings and prints by the Brussels-based Scottish artist (b. Glasgow, 1977). For the display of these works, McKenzie collaborated with illustrator Bernie Reid (b. Stirling, Scotland, 1972) and fashion designer Beca Lipscombe (b. Edinburgh, 1973) to create a turn-of-the-century décor. In 2007 the three artists started the interior decoration company Atelier, whose purpose is to design public and private social spaces. McKenzie commissioned Atelier to create the present installation, which mixes styles of ornament from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The stenciled carpet on the floor derives from design motifs by Gothic Revival architect Augustus Pugin, while the mural paintings in the rear gallery take their inspiration from Art Nouveau architect Paul Hankar. While Lipscombe has a background in textile printing and Reid is a self-taught artist, McKenzie recently returned to school in order to master the technique of trompe l'oeil painting for this installation. In 2008 she completed a course of traditional study at the Van Der Kelen Institute for decorative painting in Brussels.
The exhibition is organized by Christophe Cherix, Curator of Prints and Illustrated Books.