Angela Dufresne
Twilight of Mice and Men
May 24 - July 5, 2008
Angela Dufresne, Man-Boy at Fence (from 'The Yearling'), 2008. Oil on canvas. 59" X 97"
"This show is for the Tramps, and their beautiful inventions"
Kinkead Contemporary is thrilled to present Twilight of Mice and Men, an exhibition of inquisitive new paintings by Angela Dufresne. Taking its title from the classic American novella, this exhibition of paintings explores a time of impending hardship and the perverse, yet fantastic ragamuffin utopia that unfolds as a result.
The ad-hoc innovation and piracy, as well as the empathy and camaraderie that arrive out of hardship are themes Dufresne champions - usually through film references and idealistic architectural settings. Like Steinbeck, Dufresne explores the futility, failures and frustrations in times of difficulty as well as the opportunities for humanity to embrace camaraderie, imagination, revisionist ideals of beauty and newfangled ideas. For Twilight of Mice and Men, this tangled, yet romantic foresight plays out among tree houses, fishing trips, runaway girls and a re-envisioned Charles Chaplin with his unofficially adopted child.
About the Artist
Since receiving her MFA in 1998, Angela Dufresne's paintings have been exhibited at Galeria Glance (Turin, Italy), Miller Block (Boston, MA), and Monya Rowe (New York) among others. This exhibition is Dufresne's first in Los Angeles since debuting at the Hammer Projects in 2006. Dufresne lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
