After touring museums across the globe, Ana Tzarev's Exposed collection now comes to the Hong Kong Arts Centre, marking its Asian premiere. Exposed, which has previously been showcased in Paris, Istanbul, New York, and at London‟s Saatchi Gallery,highlights Tzarev‟s newest series of vibrant, large-scale paintings, inspired by a lifelong passion for the inherent beauty and rich symbolism of flowers.
Painted in her unmistakably lavish style, Exposed demonstrates Tzarev‟s remarkable skill in the creation of stunning, powerfully resonant and immersive works. Through thick strokes and gestural swathes, the artist builds undulating layers and waves of color upon her canvases, resulting in enchanting strata of hues that are not so much viewed as experienced. The artist pulls from fundamental matter in the history of painting and completely subverts it, producing flowers of unexpected enormity and intensely physical presence, overwhelming and indulging the senses while inviting viewers to freely interpret the work. In response to this collection, esteemed art critic Marco Tonelli states:“More than flowers, to be honest, these large substantial blossoms resemble the jaws of menacing and eager wild animals, and also human countenances full of life and passions and finally, feelings, excesses of the body and psyche. Here then the metaphorical dimension follows the historical one, in which the flower is also a clichè of femininity, of beauty and fragility, of that which is fleeting, seasonal and perishable, pulsating and eager.”
Inspired by the flora of diverse locales – from remote African plains and lush and exotic Hawaiian gardens to bustling Asian flower markets – Tzarev manages to celebrate the unique offerings of every corner of the world while highlighting the common beauty they share through what she calls the „universal language‟ of flowers. As Edward Lucie-Smith remarks: “Her paintings pour out in an almost continuous stream. But they are not simply a response to what she encounters in the external world. They are also about what she discovers, on each occasion, within herself.”
Image: © Ana Tzarev, Pao Galleries
