FOLDS OF DESIRE

Thin and yet resistant veils of shiny gold conceal everyday disappointments. In this solo exhibition at  Yvonamor Palix Fine Arts in Houston, Lesley Bodzy explores the manifestation of specific fleeting  moments as they instigate a process of undoing requiring forgiveness but also reminding us never to forget. 

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The works featured in ‘Folds of Desire’ emerge from the point at which language crumbles as we  attempt to grasp the meaning of our experiences, those unpredictably awkward social exchanges, and  unfulfilled hopes. The phone call that was never received, the explanation that was not provided, the  glance that wasn’t followed, the email that remained unanswered—our everyday lives are made up of  enigmatic and seemingly unimportant moments such as these. At times we shrug them off, at others,  we take a bit longer to pretend they didn’t hurt. But one after the other, these small personal  earthquakes reshape the emotional landscapes of our minds. Fleeting/causal moments that  nonetheless end up defining our personalities, our self-esteem, and our relationships with others define who we are. 

 

Skins, membranes, shrouds, veils—we gloss the hurt with veneers the world wants to see. Through  the manipulation of a range of materials, the works in ‘Folds of Desire’ attempt to visualize and process  what we have been taught to hide and render invisible.  

 

The works on show as part of this exhibition draw from surrealism as much as from the 1970s abstract  aesthetics developed by a host of female pioneer artists. Meret Oppenheim’s Object, (1936), in which  a teacup and saucer are wrapped in fur. Lynda Benglis’s late 70s gold, wall-mounted sculptural pieces, and the more contemporary remodeled cowhides by South African artist Nandipha Mntambo are only  some of the influences that Bodzy elegantly reworks into a personal aesthetic language that speaks  of overlooked and yet all-important moments in our lives. 

 

Lesley Bodzy holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She works in NYC and  Houston and is represented by galleries in Houston, TX and in Saugerties, NY. She has been exhibited  widely across the United States and abroad. Recent shows include ChaShaMa, Sculptors Alliance, and  Flatfile in New York City, Holy Art Gallery in London, UK, the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT, and  the Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg, PA.