Christina Zimpel
b. 1961, Australia
Bold. Refreshing. Chaotic. Subliminal. These are words that may spring to mind when looking at the works of Australian-born, New York-based painter Christina Zimpel.
Zimpel's unique painterly language is playful and romantic, with a tension and tenebrism that recalls artists such as The Fauvists, Edward Munch, and Egon Schiele or more contemporary painters such as Tal R, Marlene Dumas, or Monica Subide.
The works seem to hover in an ulterior space, where what Zimpel delineates with her brush or her striking, saturated colour choices is just as crucial to the image as what she chooses to omit, sublimate, or suggest. Faces, bodies, or even the occasional still life are brought to life with a confident - if reductive - approach. Somehow these large planes of colour seem charged with emotion and an unbridled desire to break the rules of figurative painting. She credits some of this to her youth in Australia in the '70s, as well as the folkloric teachings of her Hungarian mother, both of which find their way into the soul of these paintings.
She states that her figure, typically female and typically of a Victorian-esque ilk, is portrayed 'how they might present themselves at an audition in our time. How to behave in that discomfort is interesting to me. I am, via my characters, inviting myself onto the stage to express these delicate feelings.' This feigned portrayal comes across, through stifled poses or strange colour combinations, presenting a feeling of disquiet that is as inviting as it is enervating.
Where Zimpel does seem to indulge in excess is in the posings and stylings of these glamorous (or wannabe glamorous) women. Luxuriant hairstyles allow unbridled brushstrokes that curl and introduce excess into her strict compositions.
"I exaggerate, reduce and modernize archetypes," she states. Alluding to punk, Belle Epoque, and Romanesque sources of inspiration. "With attention to body language I’m representing dignity, awkwardness, and humor."
Zimpel's debut exhibition with BEERS is scheduled for the second half of 2024; we are proud to welcome this unique talent to our roster of artists.
CHRISTINA ZIMPEL (b. 1961) currently lives and works in New York. Zimpel graduated from Curtin University Western Australia in 1981.
Solo exhibitions include: Understudy, Olsen Annexe, Sydney, Australia (2023); Wave, HAGD Contemporary, Aalborg, Denmark (2023); Body Language, The Cabin and The Bunker LA, Los Angeles, USA (2023); The I’s Inside, Schönfeld Galleries, Brussels, Belgium (2023); Bright Eyes, Maison Kitsune Perry Archives & Gallery, New York, USA (2021); Botanical Drawings, Hesperios, New York, USA (2018) and Book People, Book/Shop, California, USA (2017).
Group exhibitions include: Salut Henri, NBB Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2024); Fractals, C Square Gallery, Taichung City, Taiwan (2024); 30 Years Celebration, Olsen Gallery, Sydney, Australia (2023); Family & Friends, BEERS London, UK (2023); Botanica, The Finch Project, London, UK (2023); A PRO POT, D’Apostrof Valerie, Meigem, Belgium (2023); The Patriot, O’Flaherty’s, New York, USA (2022); The Odd & Imaginary, Simard Bilodeau Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA (2022); Fun Gal Gro Up Show, Gallery Sade, Los Angeles, USA (2022); Little Fires, Schönfeld Galleries, Brussels, Belgium (2021); Parcours Saint Germain, Paris, France (2019); Studiolo #05, Less Is More Projects, Paris, France (2018); About Face, Sheer Gallery, Sydney, Australia (2018) and Polly Borland: Polymorph, Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney, Australia (2018).
Fairs include: CAN Art Fair, HAGD Contemporary, Ibiza, Spain (2023); Untitled Art Fair, HAGD Contemporary, Miami, Florida (2023); Luxembourg Art Week, Schönfeld Galleries, Luxembourg (2023); Art On Paper, Brussels International Contemporary Drawing Fair, Schönfeld Galleries, Brussels, Belgium (2023); Drawing Now, Schönfeld Galleries, Paris, France (2023); Luxembourg Art Week, Schönfeld Galleries, Luxembourg (2022) and Art On Paper, Brussels International Contemporary Drawing Fair, Schönfeld Galleries, Brussels, Belgium (2022).
Residencies include: La Brea Studio Residency, Los Angeles, California, USA (2023) and Schönfeld Galleries, Brussels, Belgium (2023).