Opening Now, Jan 14, 7-9p:
Natalia Fabia
”Punk Rock Rainbow Sparkle”
Jonathan LeVine Gallery, 529 W20th St., NYC
A skilled young oil painter, Fabia selects luminous subjects with an intriguing dichotomy—adult yet innocent, strong yet vulnerable. To view her work is a voyeuristic endeavor. Lingerie-wearing vixens lounge in intimate rooms with all the comforts of home, or gather in groups for after-hour parties at dimly-lit bars. Fabia’s playfully erotic female figures are adorned with alluring details—glimmering jewelry and intricate tattoos. These confident, empowered beauties evoke burlesque and pin-up traditions. A seductive mixture of glitter and grit, they pose provocatively in the artist’s carefully arranged compositions.
In the artist’s words: “Punk rock is one of my true loves. Punk to me is an attitude, a lifestyle. Punk is a middle finger, punk is do-it-yourself, do what you want. It’s a kind of freedom. I’m attracted to my subjects for having that quality. This attitude is what I wanted to convey in this series. My models (many of which are friends) are all tough, independent, strong, fun, hard working, talented, tattooed and stylishly dressed. I look at punk rock as being dirty and rough, yet sparkly and enticing at the same time, and that’s the theme of my paintings.”
