March 15th will mark the opening of surrealist painter Alexandra Manukyan's solo exhibition "Beautiful Disaster" at CHG Circa. Heavily influenced by the intense compositions and painting techniques of the Renaissance, Manukyan creates modern portraits with a classical memento mori twist. Wearing "archaic medical equipment and awkward fashion-fetish accoutrements", her tattooed female subjects are empowered with commanding postures and a presence reclaiming their rightful dominance. “I focus on combining traditional oil painting techniques with surrealist symbolism to explore the presumably dystopian landscape of emotional and physical scars carried all too often amongst the female characters,” Manukyan explains. “However, the subjects of my paintings refuse to fall into victimhood or self-loathing; instead,the women that often preoccupy my paintings figuratively and literally wear their wounds with resounding pride and empowerment.The mistakes of their pasts, the festering wounds of pain and loss, and the hauntingly icy stabs of betrayal, none of these spectre weigh them down or define their destinies.”
Take a look at a few images of Alexandra Manukyan's work via the gallery, but don't miss out on viewing this highly anticipated new collection in person.
Saturday, March 15th 7-10 pm CHG Circa 8530-A Washington Boulevard Culver City, CA 90232 www.coreyhelfordgallery.com
Flesh and Crome, 18" x 36", oil on canvas
Beautiful Disaster, 16" x 20", oil on canvas