The Galerie Nathalie Obadia is very pleased to hold a new solo exhibition by Nicola Tyson. On this occasion the artist is presenting three paintings and a set of recent drawings, where we find the confrontation of her visual ambiguities.
In Self-portrait: Single Tear 2015, the artist’s perfectly round ‘head’ floats independent of her vertically dangling strands of hair. Her open mouth has fingers where teeth should be. A single tear is getting ready to fall from one of her animated, empty eyes.
The absurd has always been an important ingredient in Tyson’s approach: humor veering into the satirical, and often the hysterical. In Self-portrait: Weeping 2015 the artist references Picasso’s crying women, but here it is her own experience that she describes. Nevertheless, her nose seems to double as a penis, literally ejaculating into her face. Looking at Art History frequently feels that way for the female viewer but Tyson’s surprised expression is also the steady gaze of self-assurance and artistic authority.
In Figure Waving 2015, a creature—part animal/part ‘woman’—coyly looks back at us, over it’s shoulder, whilst waving a giant cartoon-like hand. Is this a greeting or a farewell? It’s other arm, meanwhile, sprouts ribbons of green vegetation, that agitatedly whip around in the air.
Does this trio of paintings depict grief, or relief? A bit of both probably. This is in fact the last group of paintings Tyson plans to make for now, as she is turning her attention to sculpture. Her long relationship with painting will be interrupted for a while..
Drawing, however, remains central to Tyson’s practice and included in the show are a group of seven small square graphite drawings. Since the beginning of 2015 Tyson has been posting a drawing a day on social media— #NicolaTysonadrawingaday—and has garnered quite a following. It is a great opportunity for Tyson to share—and get instant feedback—on work that would rarely get seen otherwise. Older work is interspersed with works made especially—such as the group exhibited here—for the instagram format — nicola_tyson —which is square.
