Molly Bounds
STEPHANIE PREPARES
BOZOMAG is excited to announce, “STEPHANIE PREPARES”, a solo exhibition by Molly Bounds at BOZOMAG’s Cresthaven location. The show will open on Saturday, May 11th with a reception to be held from 12-5PM. The show will be on view thru June 9th.
Bounds' practice transmutes subtle emotionality while projecting tangible intrigue. Metamorphosis, power, and ecstatic freedom are explored through explosions of visual madness - amalgamating into a body of work aimed to celebrate moments of raw expression.
Altered in perspective and voyeuristic in orientation, the viewer is enraptured in the ambiguity of what the subject may be "preparing" for. Narratively cinematic in sequencing, Bounds' paintings delicately interrogate the "thin line" between obsession and mastery and the dynamic forces occupying this liminal space.
Depictions of bodily contortions indicative of dance intermingle with sobering moments of release after melodramatic expulsions that draw parallels to the process of self discovery. At times unflattering and reckless, this energy exists within the "ritual" of preparation.
The proverbial performer possesses a personalized ceremonial routine. Maybe bizarre, possibly private, these aforementioned moments are entangled in suggestions of transfiguration. When the performer transforms into a persona outside themselves, the subject is simultaneously on an evolution of discovery.
"STEPHANIE PREPARES" depicts a singular character, yet is not entirely an exercise in "Portraiture", per se. Bounds explains that if this were the case, the general atmosphere of these paintings would radiate "newfound strength and happiness." However, this visual rumination on Stephanie serves to depict her not only as a monument, but also, an avatar for the artist, on a journey to catharsis. The affect is change, or as Bounds states, the "radiant flame of a shift.”
Molly Bounds (b. 1990) is a painter currently living in Los Angeles. Born in Texas and
raised in Colorado, she received her BFA in Printmaking from Metropolitan State University of
Denver in 2014. After her solo exhibition at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art in 2016,
she completed a two year residency At Redline Contemporary Art Center. She has since
exhibited work in Oakland, Portland, Marfa, Chicago, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Hong Kong,
Seoul and Australia, and was a resident at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
BOZO Cresthaven is located at 815 Cresthaven Drive, LA CA 90042.
Molly Bounds, “Faint Ding (For Joanna the Mad, and Joanna the Reticent)”, 2024. Oil on canvas over panel. 48 x 30 inches.
Molly Bounds, “LA Ophelia”, 2024. Oil on canvas over panel. 36 x 48 inches.
Molly Bounds, “She’s Here (Red Robe)”, 2024. Oil, flashe & acrylic on canvas over panel. 48 x 48 inches.
Molly Bounds, “The Process Continued (Garb of St. Ellen) 1”, 2024. Oil & acrylic on canvas over panel. 18 x 36 inches.
Molly Bounds, “The Process Continued (Garb of St. Ellen) 2”, 2024. Oil & acrylic on canvas over panel. 18 x 36 inches.
Molly Bounds, “Lips Above Water”, 2024. Oil & acrylic on canvas. 18 x 36 inches.
Molly Bounds, “Showtime”, 2024. Oil on canvas over panel. 20 x 24 inches.
