Sophia Contemporary Gallery, London Acquired from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
London, Sophia Contemporary Gallery, Uncanny Memories, 11 May - 23 June 2018
Catalogue Essay
Executed in 2018, Genesis Belanger’s Made-man presents an outstretched hand created from stoneware and enamel with a signet ring sitting on the pinkie finger. The watch on the wrist reads eight minutes to seven o’clock. Represented by Galerie Perrotin, François Ghebaly and Rodolphe Janssen, Belanger’s body of works often appear dreamy and child-like. Upon closer examination however, it is a far cry from the innocence masked by matte pastels and the shape of everyday objects. Her interpretation of Claymation is inspired by her experience as a prop stylist for highly branded campaigns such as Chanel and Victoria’s Secret. Transitioning into painting and later sculpture, her style is influenced by Surrealist masters such as Salvador Dalí. The inanimate objects caught mid-movement appear to be life-like, almost seized in the middle of an action kept secret. Made-man attests to this as the opened hand seems timed in motion with the strapped watch. Her talent for story telling is layered with complexity as a single work falls in line with multiple counterparts that form a narrative. She comments on the honesty in uncanniness as an underlying theme to her work, “For something to be uncanny it is familiar but strange. We see ourselves reflected but that reflection is uncomfortable. I strive to make objects that are relatable, but also reflect aspects of ourselves that we can recognize and yet not be entirely comfortable owning” (Genesis Belanger quoted in ‘Genesis Belanger,’ Art of Choice, 15 August 2018, online). The push and pull between something appealing and something repulsive is subtly embodied as the exaggerated size of each object imposes its presence on the viewer as experience. Belanger has been acclaimed through various shows and her most recent achievement, Genesis Belanger: Through the Eye of the Needle, will be celebrated at her first solo exhibition at a major U.S. institution- the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.