The recent “Paper Dolls” exhibition by photographer Fierce Sonia set all kinds of “new” for The Art League Gallery in Old Town. For one thing, I am told that the opening reception and meet the artist function was one of the largest, if not the largest opening in the gallery’s long history.

And it wasn’t just the exceptional photography which caused all the “buzz” in the Greater DC arts community, but also the photographer herself, who is the subject of her own work, who contributed to the immense interest in this solo debut by one the area’s best known art faces.

Her press release said it all:

“During her tenure as a figure model for The Art League School, Fierce Sonia quietly acquired a top-notch visual arts education. Motivated by the artwork she saw, she became eager to create her own work. She cabled her camera to her TV and released the shutter with an infrared remote. Sonia used herself as her own model, learning more about composition and technique based on what she saw on the screen.

Her figurative photography has evolved to a new and exciting place. The focus is on process. In Sonia’s latest series “Paper Dolls,” the same images reoccur with confident changes to the surface. Her work is no longer straight photography. With the integration of painting and collage into her images, Sonia’s work has reached a new level.

The black and white images of herself are often printed on paper that has been painted white, which creates a rich texture. Each piece is created in a unique way. Previous prints may be collaged to create depth. Multiple runs of the same print may be made on the same piece. More painting, layering might be necessary to create the desired effect. These alterations to the surface blur the identity of the original image, and make the series of work about the medium and the process, and not about the subject matter.

Sonia’s work has been exhibited and won accolades nationally. She is a professional art model and muse for artists and photographers and has worked with nationally and internationally known artists.”

And so this muse for artists, slowly but surely over the years has been gathering, truly by osmosis, an art education and using her camera, almost as a weapon, trains it onto her own body to create a memorable set of images that make her solo debut one of the best, if not the best, photography shows that I’ve ever seen at the Art League.

Sonia doesn’t simply follow in the footsteps of those who have focused the camera to themselves; most notably Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin. She does that and then twists the weapon a little deeper into our visual cortex: she manipulates the image, she manipulates the paper, she manipulates our most primeval erotic thoughts with images of her body and imagery of bones, and imagery of thoughts buried deep inside our moist hereditary memories.

This is an old soul being displayed on these 21st century images. We knew her in the caves of Altamira and Lascaux, and her image graced the walls of Egypt, Greece and Rome, and perhaps a standing stone or two in the ancient lands of the Picts. In refreshing the imagery through a fresh set of eyes, Fierce Sonia accomplishment covers many roads and ideas, and seldom have they been travelled so successfully in a photographer’s solo debut.

At Gallery West

Last month I paid a quick visit to Alexandria's Gallery West, one of the area’s oldest and most consistent artist cooperatives.

Like most coops, Gallery West goes through a constant, sometimes fast, sometimes slow ebb and flow of new artists, and it had been a while since I had visited them. In fact this was my first visit since they moved from their old flood-prone space on Union Street, one block up from the river to their new space at 1213 King Street.

In their group show then on display, on the second floor I was particularly caught by the strong painting skills and superb use of space and texture of Francesca Creo, an artist who brings watercolor splatter techniques to a new level with her treatment of sand. These beach paintings are an amazing display of technical skill in this area.

I also liked the classical and elegant pieces by Rachel Estrada and the quick, painterly pieces by Parisa Tirnaz.

< Prev		Next >