18 Feb 2019
by Ilana Napoli
Hints of Industry
One of the most exciting uses of EPL’s metal was in portraiture. Both Ken Weisensee‘s “SELF-PORTRAIT (MEtal)” and Irene Christensen’s “A World Within” utilize a combination of metal and paint, and give off a uniquely captivating, otherworldly feel. Using aluminum fragments and impasto oil paint, Weisensee creates a mosaic-style self portrait of himself wearing a gas mask; the gas mask makes sense considering spray paint is his medium of choice, but without that context the piece evokes a heavy, apocalyptic feeling. Meanwhile, Christensen’s layered metal plates and found objects on top of a mysterious series of illustrations gives the impression that the figures within are caged behind the cuttings. The flat, stylized paintings beneath the metal framework and three-dimensional objects feel like a glimpse into a captive universe.
Irene Christensen 