Monsters of Paradise is an exhibition of some 15 recent paintings by New York-based artist Fred Tomaselli. His meticulous hybrid pictures are made using a dazzling array of materials including paint, pills, insects, photo-collage, leaves and flowers and explore ideas of Utopia and disorder using objects both real and reproduced. The paintings draw on such varied influences as Indian miniatures to punk music. Many of the works featured in this exhibition have been made since 2002 and demonstrate a greater emphasis on figuration in Tomaselli’s work revealing his intensely personal vision of the universe. Throughout his career Fred Tomaselli has been interested in the concept of mapping and the idea of finding one’s place in the world. Ultimately, the coming together of the natural world with the imposition or the discord of the human drive for order is a continual theme in his work.
This is a touring exhibition, organised by the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, then shown at the Domus Atrium, Salamanca, then at IMMA, and finally at the Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts.
A publication, produced by the Fruitmarket Gallery in association with James Cohan Gallery, New York, and Jay Jopling/White Cube, London, accompanies the exhibition.
Related Links:
IMMA Limited Edition: Fred Tomaselli