Leg Up
September 18th, 2019 — October 13th, 2019
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 18th, 6pm-8pm
131 Chrystie Street, New York, NY 10002
SFA Projects is proud to present Leg Up, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Nancy Elsamanoudi, opening on September 18, 2019 and on view through October 13th, 2019. This is her first one-person show with the gallery.
Nancy Elsamanoudi’s paintings exist somewhere in the open area between abstraction and figuration. Each one is a partially understood anecdote, full of symbols that are recognizable but don’t quite mesh together to form anything definitive. Like a good abstract painting, more narrative content can be found on the material level. Sections of thick oil paint cover up previous compositions and experiments, while thin passages indicate immediate gestures and thoughts that seem to have worked out on the first try. The story of the painting’s own creation holds up any other tales it may tell.
Elsamanoudi’s paintings aren’t all-encompassing grand narratives, but rather present bits and pieces and leave any larger story up to the viewer’s imagination. The “dick flowers” that grow out of pots and vases, for example, were inspired by a line from Hannah Gadsby’s comedy special Nanette. Even when the reference is made clear, nothing else immediately makes sense or falls into place: okay, so that’s where the flowers come from, but what about that girl prancing around dressed like a unicorn? There’s always something unexplainable going on, and that’s what turns the viewer’s head around for one more look.
—Roman Kalinovski, 2019
Nancy Elsamanoudi is a Brooklyn-based artist. She received an MFA in Painting and Drawing with distinction from Pratt Institute in 2014. She has shown her work at various venues in New York and elsewhere, including Spring/Break Art Show, The LeRoy Neiman Art Center, Bishop Gallery, Bowery Gallery, Amos Eno Gallery, and SFA Projects. Her work has been featured in Bomb Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Artcritical, Bushwick Daily, and Let Them Talk with Paul DeRienzo.