Leah Yerpe: Stellify Gallery Opening March 6, 2013

Leah Yerpe: Stellify Gallery Opening
3.6.13
in the Gallery at LPR

Artist Statement:
Stellify means to change or be changed into a star. Creation myths of nearly every ancient civilization include stories of humans transformed into constellations. My favorites are those in which a god takes pity on one of our ancient ancestors fleeing some terrible danger, and saves them by placing among the stars. I’m inspired by the persistent relevance of ancient myths; they span time to express human experience. Currently, the Voyager spacecraft is poised to become the first man-made object to leave our solar-system. Thousands of years of human progress reaching toward the heavens.

The figures in my work are multiplied in different poses, twisting, floating and falling on a ground purged of contextualizing marks. The bodies carry a feeling of contradiction between harmony and discord as they push and pull each other, forming constellations on the paper’s surface. I never pose my models; they have free reign to move in an immediate, improvised dance. This fluidity contrasts with a fastidious drawing process, where every tiny gesture and wrinkle take on great significance. ////////////////////////////// Refreshments will be served. // 6:30pm // 21+ // RSVP HERE: stellify@lprnyc.com // #LiveAtLPR

Official Website: http://www.lepoissonrouge.com/lpr_events/leah-yerpe-stellify-gallery-opening-march-6th-2013-2/