Love on the Record

From 07/09/2023 To 04/11/2023

Galería Hilario Galguera is pleased to present Love on the Record, the first solo exhibition of Issa Salliander (Sweden, 1984) as an artist of the Gallery. This exhibition explores the intricacies of the changing discourse surrounding female narrative and empowerment, through a thought-provoking journey made up by pieces that the artist creates with a variety of media such as painting, drawing, and screen printing.

The exhibition is composed of an array of mixed media artworks, showcasing Salliander’s artistic evolution, presenting for the first time a series of paintings that depict flesh, accompanied by her characteristic iconography that references nature and popular culture.

Canvases with energetic brushstrokes cover the gallery space, creating a visceral, textured depth in each piece that defies conventional perspectives and celebrates the strength of the female silhouette. At its heart is activist and model, Natalie White, Salliander’s close friend and muse, who embodies the strength and freedom that the artist seeks.

Accompanying Natalie in the works are symbolic bunnies, which expose the recurring dichotomies in Salliander’s work, contrasting playfulness and sensuality with vulnerability. The rabbits surpass their initial references to popular culture, such as Playboy (a magazine for which White has modeled), and assume a unique role, questioning the historical representation of women: vulnerable, but also resilient.

The mix of techniques and styles in Salliander’s paintings creates a disruption from traditional realism and delves into a personal abstraction, adding both subjectivity and ambiguity to her work. The sensuality of oil paint finds resonance with the artist’s illustrations and narrative, allowing each viewer to discover a diverging interpretation of both the nude body and her zoomorphic depictions.

Love on the Record transcends its original context of an intimate memory that embodies friendship, becoming a call to question the advances of gender equality. Highlighting the double standards and unfair expectations that have historically been imposed on women in society, where even the naked body implies different connotations. In the context of art history, the exhibition is a unique exploration of the muse-artist-muse relationship, where the female body is re-appropriated and presented from a woman’s perspective.

Issa Salliander has an MFA from City & Guilds of London Art School. She has had solo exhibitions at Galeria Kandlhofer, Vienna, Austria; and OSL Contemporary, Oslo, Norway. She has participated in group exhibitions such as Faces at Leo Gallery, Shanghai; Kandlhofer Art Collective, Vienna; and Parafin Gallery, London. Her work can be found in prestigious collections such as the Hillman Collection (USA), Ekeberg Collection, Oslo (Norway), and Carl Fuss Collection (Austria).

Love on the Record, will open to the public on September 08 and will remain open until November 04, 2023.

Tuesday to Friday: 11:00 - 17:00 h

Saturday: 11:00 - 14:00 h

Contact: info@galeriahilariogalguera.com