New Image Art is pleased to present, “Orange and Cinnamon” a solo exhibition by Monica Kim Garza opening Saturday, December 14th, 2019 from 7-10 PM.
Garza’s art affirms that round brown women are autonomous desirable agents of strength. All the female figures share physical characteristics that represent the protagonist; Monica Kim Garza. Her portrayal of pleasure and desire through the female gaze defies the canon of Eurocentric art history and defines a new era of art where the unwavering essence of the unapologetic feminine is recognized. Garza’s’ paintings have an air of consciousness, as if aware of the viewer and their own status as female simulacrum. As the artist’s painterly robust females of color thrive fearlessly, they become aspirational reflections of the viewer’s desire, whereas the viewer sees themselves as Garza’s vivacious characters. Painted with seemingly quickly paced, equally urgent and impatient, gestural brushstrokes, the female figures and surrounding environments are rendered with just enough detail to set the imagination free.
Following in the vain of Courbet (an inspiration to the artist), Garza confronts class and status by depicting contemporary figures of size and of color taking pleasure in the vices of daily life. Her full-figured women of different shades of mahogany baring breasts, nalgas, and chichos reflect the true shape, size, and attitude of a radical woman, who is not afraid of indulging in food, dancing, and sex. “Orange and Cinnamon” pays homage to mescal, the Mexican elixir that legend has it was made for the gods. Fueled by independence and liquid courage, Garza’s fearless and playful figures push the boundaries in class, race, and sex, painting the very core of self-empowerment and joy.
Monica Kim Garza (born 1988 in Alamogodo, New Mexico, USA) lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She holds a BFA in painting and drawing from California College of the Arts. New Image Art has exhibited Garza since the conception of her career and is proud to continually exhibit the artist’s work.
