Yael Ben-Simon
Gladiators Fight and Die in Flowers
July 7 - August 6, 2023
He and Sleep Were Brothers
2023, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 50 x 40 in
After Max Ernst II
2022, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 42 x 36 in
Son of Niobe
2021, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in
Shelter is delighted to present Yael Ben-Simon’s debut solo exhibition with the gallery, Gladiators Fight and Die in Flowers. Exploring fantasy, tradition, and ownership, Ben-Simon’s paintings propose a new way of looking at and handling art historical artifacts.
In recent years it has become a necessity for museums and institutions to find new ways to showcase their collections for the modern – online – viewer. Particularly in the case of sculpture and installation, these spaces had to develop 3D models that could convey the multiple views necessary to truly appreciate the depth of the work.
By employing these same digital techniques, Ben-Simon takes virtual engagement further by placing mythical, heroic sculptures in new, and sometimes surprising, settings. Manipulating their surroundings, she gives life to these statues, creating relationships and narratives between them that have the effect of de-glamorizing art history. Niobids, the sculptures representing the children of Niobe, occupy surreal, almost domestic scenes, a far cry from their short and tragic lives, while heroes wrestle under intricate rugs that would be at home in the finest of living rooms. They seem to ask the question, “why not make art history fun?”.
Victim of Stars
2023, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 36 x 46 in
After Max Ernst II
2022, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 42 x 36 in
Son of Niobe
2021, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in
The exhibition’s title is taken from Alexander Pope’s poem “An Epistle to the Earl of Burlington”, essentially a satire that ridicules a certain style of gardens that uses classical statues for decoration. Ben-Simon carefully renders her subjects on canvas, removing them from the traditional presentations addressed by Pope. The resulting works present these classical antiquities in scenes reminiscent of 17th century still life paintings or in more playful environments that evoke the contemporary language of digital imagery. At once whimsical and grandiose, the statues change appearance as they move through each tableau, in a humble yet authentic offer to deal with the anxiety of art history.
The Sun is Sick
2022, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 42 x 30 in
Three Figures with an 1853 Almanac
2022, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in
Niobe with her Youngest Daughter
2021, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in
Yael Ben-Simon lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She has had solo exhibitions at Natasha Arselan Gallery (London) and Soo Visual Arts Center (Minneapolis). Group shows include Geary Contemporary (NY), Mad Eye Gallery (NY), Moskowitz Bayse Gallery (Los Angeles), and Thierry Goldberg Gallery (NY). Ben-Simon has been awarded residences at Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, NYFA, MASS MoCA, and Wassaic. She holds an MFA from The School of the Art Institute in Chicago (Painting/Drawing, 2015).
Samson
2021, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 40 x 28 in
Fountain
2023, Acrylic, silkscreen medium, and oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in
