pt. 2 in Oakland presents Dad taught me to tie knots, mum, the names of flowers, a solo exhibition of paintings by Tahnee Lonsdale. After photographing furniture discarded on the street, Lonsdale uses her brush to deconstruct the photo and reshape each piece of furniture into anthropomorphic paintings of genderless, human forms engaged in domestic, sometimes even erotic, roles.
"The title of this show Dad taught me to tie knots, mum, the names of flowers comments on the legacy we’re left with by our parents, as well as the gender watermarks familial experiences can leave on future relationships. The works are very autobiographical and trace a thread through my life, exploring the duality of ambiguous roles occupied by the 21st-century mother and artist." –Tahnee Lonsdale
Using bright yet gentle colors in oil and aerosol, Lonsdale explores gender and sexuality, employing domestic context and furniture as both metaphor and literal extensions of the figure. While the inclusion of a flower vase directly references Lonsdale’s mother, it creates a visual link between personal experience and traditional still life, deftly subverted by the strength and power of Lonsdale’s mark.
Tahnee Lonsdale's Dad taught me to tie knots, mum, the names of flowers opens at pt.2's Oakland space on February 15, 2020, with an opening reception from 12 to 10, and is on view through March 6, 2020.
pt. 2: Oakland is pleased to present Dad taught me to tie knots, mum, the names of flowers, a solo exhibition of paintings by Tahnee Lonsdale. Often beginning with photos of discarded furniture she’s encountered on the street, Lonsdale uses her brush to deconstruct and reshape the photographed images into anthrapmorphic paintings of genderless human-like forms in domestic settings or semi-erotically engaged. Using bright yet gentle colors in oil paint and aerosol, Lonsdale explores gender roles and sexuality, employing domestic context and furniture both as metaphor and as literal extensions of the figures. While the inclusion in some of the works of a vase of flowers is a direct reference to Lonsdale’s mother it also acts as a visual link to the traditional still-life or genre scene, deftly subverted by the strength and power of Lonsdale’s mark.
