The Freight + Volume gallery in
Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of new works by Margaux Ogden for
the exhibition Down the Rabbit Hole.
For her first show at the gallery, Ogden unveils some rather imaginative
drawings and paintings where she is not bounded by rules or convention. The
title of the show references the alternate universe that Alice, the heroine in
Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Through the
Looking Glass, enters into where she encounters new and unusual creatures
and characters.
With these works, Ogden creates her
own language with her use of color, hieroglyphics, and other objects and
symbols that have personal meaning to her. One notable painting titled Desert Anxiety revolves around the
uneasiness of being alone and depicts an empty home where purple and blue are
the dominant colors to represent fear and loneliness.
Another painting known as Thank You For The Sex is a lot darker where black is the dominant
color and also includes navy blue, different shades of green, and magenta. Many
abstract symbols are seen in the image, including a woman’s face with dollar
signs on it, and other random snatches of text that read things like “Friday
the 13th,” “omg,” or “Thank you for the sex.”
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| "Desert Anxiety" (2014) by Margaux Ogden |
In a recent interview with Craig Drennen (an artist himself),
Ogden said, “I’ve started taking personal notes, scribbles, symbols, and
drawings from my day-to-day life and including them in the paintings. It
has allowed me to be honest and direct to the viewing audience in a way that
feels new to me. In stand up comedy it is really
amazing how timing and space can change a joke. Even one word can change
everything. I find painting and comedy really similar in that sense.
There is a lightness and looseness in this provisional moment that gets to the
essence of painting, without looking overtly laborious.”
At Freight+Volume, 530 W. 24th St.,
through Feb. 28. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 11 a.m.—6 p.m.
