Stephanie Pryor

Starlight

BOZOMAG is pleased to present “Starlight” an exhibition of new paintings, pastel works & sculpture by Stephanie Pryor. This show will occupy both the main and office spaces at BOZO Cresthaven (815 Cresthaven Drive, LA CA, 90042). “Starlight” will be on view from April 16th thru June 4th. An opening reception will be held for the exhibition on April 16th, from 12-5PM.

For over two decades, Stephanie Pryor’s paintings have explored the line between representation and abstraction. Her current works on canvas depict women in ethereal compositions, combining Pre-Raphaelite, Renaissance and directly observed posturing, with contemporary applications of color. Pryor’s interests take the viewer through a canonical history of women in artwork, advertisement and self-portraiture. Her subversion of these historical compositions reveals a joining of the art historical with the emotive and contemporary.

Pryor’s pastel works are more intimate. Each painting is adorned with a found frame, presenting the viewer with a private experience. This selection of paintings explores the transformation of the anonymous into the more personal. The blurred nature of the materiality draws the viewer in, enveloping them in the ageless beauty of the subject matter. 

Centering the space, an altarpiece composed from a found & modified “vanity drawer”, subverts the furniture’s original purpose. By re-contextualizing said found material, Pryor in turn redefines the object’s historical intention. The vanity, traditionally representational of the pursuit of physical perfection, thus becomes the focal point of desire itself.  

Within this body of work, Pryor explores the ideas of release & control through her mastery of materiality. The sublime nature of her paintings relies upon the exploratory unpredictability within her process. Moments of unique happenstance from chance-like gestures challenge the nature of her traditionally subjugated art materials, such as acrylics, micro-glitter, & panel board. Pryor’s continuous usage of these implements further invites the viewer into a realm of the anti-impervious. 

Stephanie Pryor was born in Great Lakes, Illinois in 1971 and lives and works in Los Angeles. She graduated from UCLA with an MFA in painting/drawing in 2000. She has had solo shows at ACME. (Los Angeles), CRG Gallery (NYC), Studio Guenzani (Milan, Italy), Marine Contemporary (Los Angeles), and Ochi Projects (Los Angeles). She has been involved in numerous group shows both in the states and abroad. Some highlights include Curator's Choice, Recent Acquisitions from MMoCA's Collection, Madison, WI, Contemporary Cool and Collected, The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC and Studio International, Paintings from the Ophichus Collection, Hydra Workshop, Hydra, Greece. Public collections include MOCA Madison, WI, Cedars Sinai Beverly Hills, UCLA Medical Center and Creative Artist Agency among others.