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KELLEN CHASUK
PLASTIC FLOWERS

JANURARY 5 - 27 , 2018

OPENING RECEPTION
FRIDAY, JANUARY 5 , 2018
7-10PM

ON VIEW
JANUARY 5 - 27 , 2018

For more info about available works by Kellen Chasuk, please contact info@stephaniechefas.com

Payment plans are available upon request.

PRESS

Exhibition feature on Juxtapoz Magazine

Oregon ArtsWatch feature by Paul Maziar

This January, Stephanie Chefas Projects welcomes artist Kellen Chasuk with 'Plastic Flowers', a solo exhibition of floral still life paintings. In her latest work, Chasuk underscores traditional subject matter with themes of death, permanence, and isolation, infusing a distinctly humorous edge. Kitsch and still life find rejuvenation through extravagant textures, aggressive palettes, and conspicuous accumulations that speak of the privacy of one's interior. Chasuk’s canvases playfully layer homages to Manet and Matisse with modern objects like a McDonald's soda cup, nail polish, iPhones, and the occasional rolled joint. Flowers in particular hold significant meaning in the artist's work as they represent an attempt to turn something ephemeral, into something permanent. Applying thick layers of flashe vinyl paint to depict each blossom, Chasuk creates literal plastic flowers. The result is a contemporary aesthetic impulse guided by the moment rather than the monumental.   

Kellen Chasuk (b. 1995) is currently based in Oakland, CA while pursuing a BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). Chasuk creates art that aims to untangle her ever-changing view of the world through representation of everyday thoughts, objects, and textures. Humor is essential to understanding the work - as it is rooted in self-awareness and offers essential room for growth. The subject matter is derived mostly from an accumulation of visual and academic knowledge through television, advertising, fabric patterns, art history, as well as gender and personal relationships. Chasuk calls attention to the subjectiveness of the human experience through manipulating traditional painting, sculpture, and media techniques. The output being, hopefully, a moment of reflection, a laugh, a relatable discomfort, or a newfound comfort.

The opening reception for 'Plastic Flowers' will be held at Stephanie Chefas Projects on Friday, January 5th from 7-10pm. Stephanie Chefas Projects is located in Portland, Oregon at 305 SE 3rd Avenue on the second floor of the Urban Row building. The exhibition will be on view through January 27, 2018 and is free and open to the public.

ARTWORK