Known for her dreamy, allegorical self-portraits, Julie Heffernan's new exhibit Boy, O Boy at PPOW presents a series of new paintings starring young men exploring "the idea of human progress on both personal and political levels" (from show's press release). Perhaps inspired by her own two sons, Heffernan's Rococo-like, detail-filled canvases show almost angelic and androgynous, male nudes equipped with a vast array of props setting out to take on the world. Her lush settings often involve fantastical landscapes that depict "how we move into new chapters of our lives, both personally and as a planet."
In Great Scout Leader III, a super prepared though oddly packed young fellow carries fruits, photographs, ropes, books, and much more, on his back and around his waist, while in Self Portrait as Moving Out another over-packing peer struggles to move his belongings across a dubious bridge and other obstacles. As the press release states, the artist's "characters carry heavy histories of the past as they try to valiantly reshape the future." Self Portrait as Tree House, shows three soldiers looking doll-like and tiny standing outside an elaborate, pod-like, multi-compartment bachelor pad one of the boys has craftily built. This display of self-sufficiency along with the subjects' serene, direct gazes seem to imply hope and confidence that Heffernan's boys will be alright. Learn more at ppowgallery.com. Through June 5th.
Budding Boy, 2010
Great Scout Leader III, 2010
Tender Trapper, 2010
Self Portrait Moving Out, 2010
Boy in Flight, 2010
Self Portrait as Tree House, 2010
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