Foundations Artsy Fair 2024

Barbara Ishikura and Melanie Vote

July 23 - August 12

KALINER (formerly FORMah) is pleased to present Barbara Ishikura and Melanie Vote for Foundations Artsy Art Fair.

While two figurative artists often share similar saturation to their paintings and examine human existence, Ishikura and Vote create a tense conversation between them, referring to the aspects of life and death, outdoor nature versus indoors interiors..

Ishikura highlights the joy of life in her paintings, where women often have droopy breasts, dangling cigarettes, sunburned arms, and display their unabashed sexuality while striking classical art historical poses. Women in her artwork are not behaving while they inhabit beautiful interiors, to convey the ongoing conflict of adhering to social norms across different social classes. Ishikura’s work delves into notions of good and bad taste, navigating cultural hierarchies through the juxtaposition of high and low culture objects

Vote, on the other hand, draws inspiration from nature and landscape, and explores the impermanence of human existence, emphasizing the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death as a unifying force. Through metaphorical narratives and the juxtaposition of visual elements, she examines the constant state of metamorphosis. The narratives may appear haunting. They intend to serve as a reminder of our temporary place here as humans. We are not permanent, nor invincible.