Clarity, 2009, 58 x 42 inches, oil on canvas
Being an artist is all about vulnerability. Some artists are pretty afraid of this, creating a product that feels very closed-off and protected from the prying eyes of their viewers. Becky Franco is not one of these artists.
Her large realist works on canvas are now on view through May 18th at SOHO20 Gallery in Chelsea.
Franco puts herself right out there, finding a connection with the viewer by exposing them to the most intimate moments of her own life. Her work displays the most intimate corners of her domestic life, chandeliers, mirrors, tables, and chairs all peer back towards the viewer. Titled Chosen, the show posits the idea that these objects are actually the ones that chose us, and not the other way around. They make one reflect on who they are as we contemplate our relationship to these objects that are common signifiers of a certain level of comfort and affluence.
As stated by the artist in a recent statement,
“My interiors are concept driven and at first sight seem clichéd, passé and give a conventional appearance, but on second inspection possess emotional and cultural tension. The objects subsist together in ‘space’ and start to stare back at us, becoming somewhat unsettling to the viewer, once we adapt to the incongruity one welcomes the unusual viewpoint.”
Franco’s chops as a painter are on vivid display, so much so that the engaging concepts her work is loaded with come to the forefront secondarily. Once they hit you though, their grip is unavoidable. Its an engaging show that is worth repeated visits. Go see it before it’s too late.
By Matthew Hassell
