DEBRA DREXLER SOLO IN ITALY

“Dipinti” DEBRA DREXLER Solo – an exhibition of abstract paintingS
September 12 to November 12, 2017
Historic Palazzo dell’Annuziata, Matera, Italy

At first glance the paintings seem effortless and playful, but upon closer examination the work is intricate and multifaceted. Numerous layers, which contrast areas of depth and flatness, organic and synthetic color, matt and gloss surfaces, create complex spatial interactions. In places, the bare canvas is allowed to shine through, while other zones of the painting are encased in over forty layers of paint. The edges of the mark tell the story of excavation, history, and time. Sometimes the same brushstroke in the same place is repeated over and over, belying the illusion of spontaneity it presents.

The exhibition is curated by Pino Nicoletto, of Arte Internazione, who writes about Drexler’s work in the catalog essay, “The compositions of Debra are singular and of noted interest for their irregular geometry with large marks loaded with color. These marks are flexible and live organically in the atmospheric saturation of color. They delineate a zone in which the reds, the greens, the yellows, the blues are full-bodied and modulated with the light. A light, of course, which suggests then atmosphere of Hawai’i, a magnificent place where the artist works, alternating between there and New York. The luminous poignancy of these forms has no prefixed scheme, because it alludes to the huge vitality of nature. In the works, the color has a limpid transparency evocative of an atmosphere that doesn’t suggest an outlook, but an intensity of color.”