Artist Nina Surel Gets Lost in a Forest in "Understory" at Praxis
Categories: Art
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Surel, who obviously hoards materials like a squirrel stashing nuts for the winter, definitely has a keen eye for employing sundry items of fabric and gilded bits and pieces of ornamental stuff to create works of a labor-intensive, sumptuous character.
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| Nina Surel Sweets to the Sweet |
| Courtesy of Praxis International |
Surel gives imaginative depth to exploring her interest in her own childhood, fairytales, Romanticism, and early feminist literature.
Surel's paintings are basically self portraits depicted in primeval forest settings.Through them, she invites the viewer to contemplate her exchanges with nature as a path to questioning the perception of our surroundings as something wondrous amidst the technological chaos distancing humans from the environment. |
| Nina Surel Amanita Muscaria |
| Courtesy of Praxis International |
In it, the Argentine artist appears standing in front of a dense copse of trees in a woodland clearing while intently gazing at the spectator. She is decked out in what looks like a Flamenco dancer's regalia. Every crease and fold of her red flowing gown is accentuated three-dimensionally in the picture which also depicts an image of a magic mushroom, sprouting from the earth near the artist's feet at the lower left corner of the striking composition.
To further suggest the notion of depth in the picture, Surel has added a lavish bouquet of porcelain flowers to the upper section of her bodice. Her hair is powdered in a combination of scarlet and cotton-candy pink hues heightening the trippy vibe of the image and giving the impression her skull is about to catch fire.
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| Nina Surel Nectar |
| Courtesy of Praxis International |
In some of her other large-scale paintings, gussied up swains, swaddled in 18th century period garb, swoon visibly as if besotted.
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| Nina Surel Understory |
| Courtesy of Praxis International |
But despite her impeccable execution and command of her subject matter the innate vanity of Surel's proposal fails to transport viewers to a vision one can connect to universally. For all the drama and prettiness of her paintings, some will leave Surel's exhibit surely impressed with her technique but somehow feeling detached and with thoughts of a Harlequin romance novel addling their noggins.
See "Understory" through October 22 at Praxis International Art (2219 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami.) Call 305-573-2700 or visit praxis-art.com.
Location Info
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Praxis Gallery
2219 Northwest 2nd Ave., Miami, FL
Category: General
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