The Agony & the Ecstasy

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8 8 1 1 B E V E R LY B O U L E VA R D, LO S A N G E L E S , C A 9 0 0 4 8

26 MAY - 23 JULY 2022 8811 BEVERLY BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90048

“It is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure” – Marquis de Sade Maddox Gallery Los Angeles is pleased to present ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy,’ a group exhibition exploring the human figure as a site of emotional transformation. Featuring a selection of paintings and sculpture by six artists hailing from different regions of the world – Tijana Titin, Darian Mederos, Melissa Herrington, Justin Bower, Samantha Greenfeld and Susanne Zagorni – the show considers how the body surrenders itself to extreme emotions, be they agonizing pain or sublime pleasure.

The exhibition title is drawn from the biographical novel of the same name depicting the life and career of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Written in 1961 by the American author Irving Stone, the story chronicles the struggles and triumphs throughout this venerable artist’s career. Michelangelo believed that his role as a sculptor was to free the form and its spirit from blocks of marble. His deft chiseling of the material gave way to transcendent sculptures that appeared to pulsate and writhe with sheer emotion. Finding such connections between body and soul continue with the works presented here by each of these artists. Their boldly rendered figures inhabit various forms of expression ranging from intense agony to divine exultance and in some instances, it is difficult to decipher one from the other.

This indistinguishable difference is better understood when considering that the word ‘agony’ is originally derived from the Greek verb ‘agein’ meaning ‘to celebrate.’ Used in the context of celebrating sporting competitions, its noun form ‘agonia’ evolved to describe ‘a struggle for victory or prize.’ The 14th century European authors then developed the more familiar definition of ‘pain or anguish,’ but in the 18th century, ‘agony’ was used to describe ‘a strong and often uncontrollable display of delight,’ thereby, circling the meaning back to its linguistic origin.

The artists here also blur these tenuous lines of distinction between agony and ecstasy in their artworks. Various states of emotions are portrayed by their unique handling of color, line and composition and, by placing the primacy of the figurative body on display, they reveal the intangible magnitude of the human condition.

Berlin based artist, Tijana Titin, seeks to capture the interior worlds of her viewers. Describing her paintings as “a visualization of the invisible,” Titin floods her canvases with swirling ethereal figures intertwined in moments of seeming celebration. Her sensuous palette and lively brushwork are reminiscent of early 18th century French Rococo paintings, however, Titin’s graceful handling of paint creates abstract compositions that contain an air of ambiguity – are the figures frolicking in great exultation or battling in great distress? Such unknowns offer a myriad of expressions to be explored and considered with each work.

The reclining figures of Cuban born Darian Mederos, on the other hand, are in obvious states of rapture, anguish and repose. In their moments of rest and unrest, the contorted figures are suspended behind a gauzy filter that keeps the image preserved and protected. A layer of bubble wrap is skillfully composed of large, broad, abstract strokes that reveal both the figures and reflected light when viewed as a whole. These canvases are part of Mederos’ Obscura Series and invite multiple ways of seeing – first at a distance, then up close and again at a further distance – in order to take in the intricacies of their compelling compositions.

A more fervent emotional and bodily transformation occurs within the paintings of Californian born and raised artist Justin Bower. His large-scaled works depict restless figures hovering in an imaginary world where Neoclassicism meets Sci-Fi. Bower’s figures are what he calls “posthuman,” beings that are in states of delirium as they transfigure from sentient humans to virtual simulations. He paints the physical body in flux, as it sheds its corporeal skin exposing bone and muscle ready to be replaced with millions of pixels. He also captures the psychological states in flux with his rigorous handling of the brush. By laying down a flurry of rhythmic, intense strokes, they convey the oscillation between pain and pleasure that his post-human figures may perpetually endure.

Los Angeles native Samantha Greenfeld’s sculpture, on the other hand, is informed by classical Greek statues from the Hellenistic period. Often embodying a divine being, these naturalistic works of art depicted the ideal form full of emotion and movement. Greenfeld’s piece recalls the Venus de Milo with its contrapposto pose and layers of fabric draped around the body. Upon closer inspection, however, rather than the polished surface of marble, the figure’s surface is composed of a pastiche of worn garments and discarded materials. Greenfeld is fascinated by the debris and castoffs left behind by others and seeks emotional connections between those who may have owned the objects and those who come upon them with feelings of recognition or nostalgia. By salvaging remnants of old and manipulating them into something new, she holds onto the memories and intimate histories of the very human bodies they once adorned.

The abstracted figures in German artist Susanne Zagorni’s paintings almost vibrate off their canvases with their vivid colors and energetic, gestural strokes. She aims to capture the whole of human experiences, from the most blissful of moments to the darkest of days. Highly expressive and raw in their execution, these canvases unleash a multitude of emotional and psychological sensations embodied by distorted figures and limbs that overlap, conjoin and sometimes, extend out from nowhere, almost like a Surrealist dream springing forth from the subconscious.

Throughout ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy,’ an emotional journey develops with each encounter of an artwork. As Michelangelo sought to release the soul from his chosen medium, so too do the artists presented here. Through their various styles and approaches, they not only tap into the infinite well of emotions harbored in the human body, but also reconsider the notions of agony and ecstasy. Are they opposing emotions, or are they the same, for pain is perhaps just a cruel form of pleasure.

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Melissa Herrington is a Los Angeles based artist who explores what she calls “the complexities of transformation” through her large abstract canvases. She uses the motif of the female figure as site of this change, with the assured line of the silhouette creating a specter that simultaneously dissolves and materializes amongst the diaphanous layers of organic colors and shapes. As though it is caught between two extreme worlds, the pared down, deconstructed body is drawn to scale inviting the viewer to step in and take part in this transformation. Herrington’s intuitive gestural marks and sparse areas of canvas also evoke a sense of calm amidst the storm, a nervous swirl of emotions placated by the evocation of the female presence.

b. 1975 San Francisco Born in San Francisco in 1975, Justin Bower was interested in art from an extremely young age. Spending his childhood copying Old Master paintings, Bower always had an attraction to figurative art, especially depictions of the human body. Wishing to refine his artistic technique and his theoretical knowledge, Bower went on to complete his undergraduate degree in Art and Philosophy, at the University of Arizona. In the early 2000s, Bower moved to Los Angeles to pursue his artistic career, taking the opportunity to undergo further training. By 2011, Bower had received his Masters in Fine Arts from Claremont Graduate University and since has both been nominated and won a plethora of grants and awards, including The Feitelson Fellowship Grant (2010) and The Joan Mitchell award (2010).

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JUSTIN BOWER

In addition to this, his work has been the subject of several solo exhibitions in galleries across the United States, including a 2010 exhibition at Ace Gallery in Beverly Hills and a later exhibition at New York’s Unix Gallery in 2013. Bower has also come to host solo shows at Lancaster Museum of Art & History (2015), the Pomona Art Museum (2017), and the Riverside Art Museum (2019).

With an ever-increasing following, Bower’s paintings can also be found in a number of public art collections, such as The Weisman Art Foundation in Los Angeles and the Cosmopolitan Collection in Las Vegas. As popular in public as in private, Bower’s works have also been sought after by many notable collectors and prominent patrons within the art world, with both the president of Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, Eugenio Lopez, and Mexican business magnate, Carlos Slim, owning pieces of his works.

Bower first exhibited with Maddox Gallery in 2020 in a group exhibition in our Los Angeles gallery.

J U STI N B OW E R

J USTIN BOWE R

SUSPENDED RAPTURE, 2021 Oil on Canvas Diptych 108 x 144” (108 x 72” each)

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J USTIN BOWE R

EMBRYONIC LOVE, 2021 Oil on Canvas 78 x 60”

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J USTIN BOWE R

1970 #3, 2022

Oil on Canvas 72 x 60”

J USTIN BOWE R

THREE VISITATIONS, 2020 Oil on Canvas 78 x 146”

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b. 1987 Los Angeles “My works move between states of fragmentation and wholeness.

Independent parts combine into a singular form; amalgamations of subjective memories flow together into a unified consciousness. By layering narrative intersections to expose their similarities, my pieces become mirrors through which the viewer begins to recognize aspects of himself or herself in the work. This identification with the experiences of another human life opens up a dialogue between self and other, in turn cultivating an awareness of a grander, interconnected community.”

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SAMANTHA GREENFELD

Samantha Greenfeld works primarily with abandoned man-made objects, which the artist amasses from her surroundings, to create sculptures and paintings that explore how invisible lives and transpired events turn into visible remains in the present.

Greenfeld’s most recent bodies of work are concerned with the larger implications of society’s actions and consumptions, examined through the forgotten and broken items that become trash. The assembled sculptures and the watercolors depicting compositions of these discarded artifacts seek to uncover the latent significance and connections of our quotidian lives that will one day be part of an archeological reconstruction of our era.

Greenfeld states that “In a time where people can sometimes feel so alienated from one another, I want to make art that reminds us of who we are together. More than anything else, this is what I want people to take away from my work.”

Greenfeld received her BFA in Painting from Otis College of Art and Design in 2013. She currently lives and works in LA.

SA MA N TH A G R E E N F E L D

SAMANTHA GR EEN F EL D

VESTIS III, 2014-2015 Reclaimed Garments and Mixed Media 52 1/2 x 16 x 16”

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b. 1975 Los Angeles, California Melissa Herrington is a contemporary abstract artist currently living and working in Los Angeles, California. She has called Southern California home since 2005 where she received her MFA from Otis College of Art and Design. Prior to that, she spent most of her early career in Atlanta, Georgia and has a BFA from Florida State University. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally.

Herrington creates large-scale, abstract paintings that are built up through layers of paint on canvas overlaid with mark-making using graphite, charcoal and pigments. Herrington’s newest works explore the complexities of transformation. Each work functions as both an individual entity and as a part of a larger theme of process.

Herrington explores spontaneous marks and subtle forms through abstraction. Layers are fundamental to her imagery and process, infusing each work with multiple surfaces. Colors and unsteady shapes blend on the surface where irregular marks appear as though left unintentionally by a trace. Loosely sketched forms blend into whites and grays, contrasted by whole abstracted fields.

These forms exist within the space of the painting; yet also allude to an outside source. At the heart of Herrington’s artistic practice is an unmistakable relationship between distilled color and form.

Standing before a singular canvas in this series, one is immediately drawn in by a strong and powerful presence, with painterly veils and swathes of solid color that are paused mid flow. There is a balance of figure and ground creating a powerful and delicate tension. As contoured shapes emerge from the abstract, the viewer is witness to form revealing, creating new visual possibilities, evoking a sense of joy and wonder.

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MELISSA HERRINGTON

ME L I SSA H E R R I N GTO N

MELI SSA HER R IN GTON

FLOATING ROOM. I INHALE. TIME, 2021 Mixed Media on Canvas 70 x 96”

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MELI SSA HER R IN GTON

FROM. THE NIGHT WINDS THEY WERE SPUN, 2021 Mixed Media on Canvas 54 x 72”

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MELI SSA HER R IN GTON

A CRIMSON LANTERN. ARMS DEEP IN MELTING RIVERS, 2021 Mixed Media on Canvas 50 x 40”

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b. 1992 Santa Clara, Cuba Cuban prodigy, Darian Mederos’ work focuses on the ubiquitous human face. Emotive and replete with meaning, our faces encompass the vast human experience, revealing everything at once or nothing at all. Even in concealment, there is nuance. Our expressions cross borders, race, and culture, they are a common thread among humanity. A smile, is a smile, is a smile. With the “Obscura Series”, Mederos creates something new, a photorealistic abstraction. The bubble wrap reflects light and distorts the underlying image, it is only at a distance that the works come into focus. When viewed up close the faces dissolve into bold strokes of flesh tones and painted light. The artist challenges the viewer with the “Obscura Series” in asking us to understand the core of human identity, from a respectful distance. Mederos attended his first two years of art school at Leopoldo Romañach in his hometown of Santa Clara, Cuba. Always striving to do be better, he applied and was accepted to the much-lauded, and oldest art school in the Western Hemisphere, La Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, in Havana, Cuba. At the age of 22, Mederos left Cuba, alone. He arrived in Miami and was picked up by his gallery of record Conde Contemporary, in less than six weeks. Since then his work has been shown in LA, NY, Miami, Santa Fe, London, and Dinard, France. His work resides in private collections worldwide, including London, Miami, NY, LA, Shanghai, Malaysia, Tel Aviv, Italy, Estonia, and Denmark. The 28-year-old artist continues to evolve, constantly exploring new forms of representation. Darian Mederos currently resides and works in Miami, Florida.

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DARIAN RODRIGUEZ MEDEROS

DA R I A N R O DR I G U E Z M E DE R OS

DA RIAN RODRIG UEZ M ED ER OS

THE CHAMBER OF THE EARTHLY DELIGHTS, 2020 Oil on Linen Triptych 48 x 108” (48 x 36” each)

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DA RIAN RODRIG UEZ M ED ER OS

REM 1, 2021 Oil on Linen 48” diameter

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b. 1981 Berlin, Germany My work is focused on Human Beings, their position in the contemporary world and their interpersonal relations. I observe them from different perspectives and am making my own, nuanced take. Similarly to Francis Bacon, who said: “I would like my pictures to look as if a human being had passed between them, like a snail leaving its trail of the human presence... as a snail leaves its slime”, I too am attempting to reach the human essence in my works. I want to give people a reason to pause, to reflect, to take a deep look into themselves. That is where the feelings are and that is what links us together. There we are the most vulnerable, there we are the closest to each other. Dealing with inner worlds interest me - a visualization of the invisible. In all my works I use both figuration and abstraction. My aim is to give a few directions to the viewer, without revealing the final destination or becoming too illustrative.

Figures are often appearing from and then disappearing back into an abstract space, which causes the feeling of constant flow within the painting.

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TIJANA TITIN

TI JA N A TI TI N

TIJANA TI TI N

BODYSCAPE (WATTEAU FLOODED), 2020 Oil on Canvas 63 x 78”

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TI JANA TI TI N

CHERRY-COLOURED FUNK, 2019 Oil on Canvas 59 x 79”

TI JANA TI TI N

UNTITLED (BODYSCAPE #11), 2017 Watercolor on Paper 16 x 12” (Unframed)

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TI JANA TI TI N

TAME MY FLESH, 2013 Oil on Canvas 11 x 18”

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TI JANA TI TI N

SURVIVAL, 2020 Oil on Canvas 41 x 55”

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TI JANA TI TI N

TILL THE MOON HAS TAKEN FLIGHT, 2021 Oil on Canvas 28 x 28”

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b. 1973 Munich, Germany Susanne Zagornia grew up in Heimstetten in a generation house, together with her mother and grandparents and had a loving childhood. She began to study painting and graphics at the IBKK in Bochum and completed classical training in painting with the visual artist Frank Burkamp, painting studio sets for shows.

Her luxuriant canvases are painted from the recollections of her experiences. Not precisely what transpired, but the emotional sensations still lingering inside her. She is not only curious about what ensued but more curious about the psychology and “why” that was behind it, the catalyst. Susanne doesn’t only address or believe the treacly greetings in human interactions; she embraces the spectrum of feelings and firmly believes they should also be acknowledged, as niceties mask the fundamental dynamics at work, yet people validate the good feelings as acceptable, it is the rest of it that makes us who we are- the subterfuge of the spirit. As residents of the world, we like to bathe in the happy, the easy, the bright. Susanne paints the human condition. Sometimes, we are behind a mask or covered by something or someone, an inner turmoil, and have a feeling to shed one’s skin and step out into something new. At times we can feel optimistic and, at other moments, perhaps skittish. “We can think in the cold alone. So why not paint that as well?” she says. Why not the raw, the dark, the unknown? Her works burst and bloom with texture and a plunging abyss of introspection and sensation, carefully considering the human condition and what makes us all profoundly relatable.

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SUSANNE ZAGORNI

S U SA N N E ZAG O R N I

SUSA N N E ZAGOR N I

EWIGMEIN (FRIDA), 2021 Oil on Canvas 71 x 71”

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SUSA N N E ZAGOR N I

DIE BELASTIGUNG, 2022 Oil on Canvas 63 x 51”

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