Painter, Victoria Szilagyi combined an ancient technique with some very contemporary iconography in her latest series, Machinations. The tanned, pigtailed and silicon-endowed women (or girls, it’s hard to say which) that grace each piece from the collection were culled directly from pornography stills. Szilagyi used an encaustic process to great effect, creating swirling patterns and layers of texture that pulsate with energy and animate the figures. The result is a cartoonish image of a real subject that underscores the artificiality of both. As portraits, removed from any pornographic narrative, these faces read as pained, fearful or utterly demented. However, the recognizability of their source material is like a neon sign flashing in your peripheral vision -- revealing a disturbing incongruity.
Sneak a peak at ARC until October 29th
