Richard Pasquarelli Last Sites November 20-December 19th, 2003 Luxe Gallery
Luxe Gallery, 24 West 57th St, NYC is proud to present Richard Pasquarelli: Last Sites. The crisp, dark canvases which comprise Richard Pasquarelli’s“Last Sites” transform photographic snapshots into rich scenarios steeped in mystery. The artist relies on the ambiguity of chance ordinary images, confiscating their banality and subsequently exploiting our own paranoia. These works hover about photography although the artist never ceases to take advantage of the mediations and illusory tricks of painting, enhancing the indeterminacy of the ‘recorded’ scenes.
The bold harmony of these compositions combined with the deep, subtly shifting hues of color entice the viewer with ease. Once captured, the viewer is bound to the disclosure of the unsettling an enigmatic character of this work. Ominous scenes are revealed through a skewed perspective, placing us within the cryptic frame of reference of an unseen subject. In Untitled: an imposing self-portrait of the artist stares down at us with obscure intentions leaving us in searching suspense. We are at once predatory and preyed upon.
Pasquarelli’s sleek and savory images beautify our dubious neuroses yet do not render them benign. Fear is apotheosized and tamed in this work, becoming almost redemptive. Pasquarelli takes ownership of his shadows while giving his audience a muffled, slow moving jolt.