LAKSHMI MUIRHEAD
THERE IS ALWAYS A BEFORE
In There is Always a Before, Lakshmi Muirhead continues her deep exploration into concepts of maternity, race, family, internal tethers, language, constructs, freedom and exclusion. In wrestling with her own ambivalence on these subjects, they all continually inform her work. Text, and markings that seem like text are abundant in the work leading the viewer to search for meaning in familiar form of communication.
Of her creative process, Muirhead says, “In creating a piece, I am motivated by the pursuit of beauty and an eventual resolution. Often, I incorporate texts that are personal narratives or transcriptions of actual experiences. As a piece progresses there is a revelation of intimate truth or aesthetic knowledge that allow me a respite from the past and the future”
In conjunction with the exhibition, a digital catalog will be published with an essay written by independent scholar, writer and art advocate, Sharon Arnold
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The artist begins with a canvas or plywood surface and laboriously applies plaster, acrylic, oil, ink, paper and graphite layers. This process achieves a distinctly rich, subtle and shifting texture. The viewer senses the uncertainty and contradiction inherent in memory and perception, and her reluctance to commit to a definite and final moment. The physicality of Muirhead’s work reflects the visceral complications of our experiences.
“The intricacies and anomalies that occur with persistent layering are deeply compelling. I love how the viewing is affected by the light, one’s mood and interpretations of the text. I am interested in the tension, in life and in art, between change and permanence; and why we reject or internalize particular beliefs”.
“In creating a piece, I am motivated by the pursuit of beauty and an eventual resolution. Often, I incorporate texts that are personal narratives or transcriptions of actual experiences. As a piece progresses there is a revelation of intimate truth or aesthetic knowledge that allow me a respite from the past and the future”.
Lakshmi Muirhead is an artist that mainly works in painting and figure drawing. She lives and works in Seattle, WA with her husband and two children.
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Muirhead’s painting practice began over a decade ago and only recently began exhibiting her work with a poignant exhibition of work at Mariane Ibrahim Gallery in 2013. Since then, she has exhibited regularly and was awarded the 2018 Cornish College of Art’s prestigious Neddy Award in painting for her multi-layered panels of plaster, graphite and oil.