“Pardon Me” 2016 (Oil and acrylic on canvas 66×64)
Hali Linn Whelan
Pardon Me
1501 Broadway, Brooklyn
May 6th, 2016 7-10 PM
IMAGE Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Pardon Me, a solo exhibition by New York based artist Hali Linn Whelan. The show will be on view from May 6 to May 31st, 2016 with an opening reception on Friday, May 6 from 7:00-10:00pm. With a special musical performance by Jackie Paladino at 9pm. This is Whelan’s first solo show in New York City.
The exhibition will be comprised of Whelan’s large-scale oil paintings that combine portraiture, collage, and pop culture references to navigate the frequently problematic social expectations placed on American women. The work is informed by conversations and collected stories from individuals who experience the daily social impact of the sexualization of the young female body, as well as their histories with trauma as a result of this systemic mindset. Whelan examines the behaviors that are supplemented and, in many cases, superseded by popular media imagery that encourage intergenerational adoptions of “sexiness”, while incorporating the materiality of ruined and objectified bodies that remember, recall, and carry on complex traditions of representation.
For those who have a history of abuse or harassment, the shame and secrecy surrounding sexuality, abuse, and the double standards women face, keeps survivors of sexual assault quiet and subdued. The personal relationships with women who have experienced these encounters influenced Whelan’s work. She views this body of work as an effort to allow a space for these voices.
IMAGE Gallery
1501 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11221
