Installation of Drawing, Peter Blum Gallery, New York, NY
Luisa Rabbia, “Drawing”
December 29, 2014
By her own admission, this Italian artist who lives and works in Brooklyn is heavily influenced by the legacy of late-’60s Arte Povera, but her paintings and sculptures also seem shadowed by examples of 1980s Italian Neo-Expressionists like Francesco Clemente. Her palette, both emotionally and colorwise, is dominated by crepuscular shades of blue, while fine rootlike patterns of lines suggesting veins and capillaries are a frequent motif, along with images of faces and heads pictured in repose. The combination creates a vibe that's both dreamful and dolorous.