Labyrinth

Keri Oldham
October 10-November 14, 2015
Opening reception Saturday, October 10, 6:30-8:30 pm
Artist will be in attendance

Kirk Hopper Fine Art is pleased to announce our upcoming solo exhibition for artist Keri Oldham entitled Labyrinth. Marking her return to KHFA, Labyrinth is a modern allegorical watercolor and mixed media series that draws inspiration from the 1980s cult classic film in addition to the ancient myth of the Minotaur. A Dallas native who currently lives and works in Brooklyn, Oldham's work investigates the issues of identity, psychosis and story archetypes, with her watercolors dubbed as "studies of familiarity and restraint" (Beautiful/Decay).

The work in Labyrinth combines images of demons and warriors with tragic figures and victorious ones. With armored women at its center, these pieces spin a new story on Theseus entering the maze and confronting the beast within. Combining medieval demons with fashion and cinematic fantasy, these images are modern allegories for inner turmoil as well as the desire for meaning and success in the arch of adult life.

Oldham's work combines characterization and psychosis in watercolor paintings layered with graphite and applied paper pulp. Playing with depth and flatness, she builds texture through applying paper pulp to the work and layering with paint and pencil. Working through each piece intuitively, Oldham allows figures to unveil their stories through gesture, tragedy and fantasy. Her paintings explore fear, inner turmoil, success and failure, as well as the often unconscious following of archetypal stories. Her work both ruminates on and opposes classic story structures, including the desire for our lives to unfold like a story.

Keri Oldham is a Brooklyn-based artist working in watercolor and mixed media. Her work investigates issues of identity, psychosis and story archetypes. Originally from Dallas, Oldham has exhibited her work throughout the country including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Contemporary, the Whatcom Museum in Washington, Jen Bekman Gallery in New York, Honey Ramka Gallery in New York, Helmuth Projects San Diego, Guest Spot at the Reinstitute in Baltimore and One Mile Gallery in Kingston, New York. She was a 2011 Summer Central Track resident and has received awards including a 2010 New Media Fellowship with BRIC Arts in Brooklyn.

Oldham is also co-founder of Field Projects, a project space in Chelsea dedicated to exhibiting emerging artists. Her work and curatorial projects have been spotlighted and reviewed by the New York Times, D Magazine, ArtInfo, San Francisco Weekly, Bad at Sports, Glasstire, Beautiful/Decay, and others.