Emily Roz: "Ripe" Exhibition Opens November 7th



Emily Roz
Ripe
November 7th - December 28th
Opening: Friday November 7th, 7-9
"Stacked" oil on panel, 36"x36"
The paintings in Emily Roz’s exhibition “Ripe” will surely make you blush. Referencing seedpods of a specific Southern Magnolia tree from the artist’s youth in Chapel Hill, these lush, tactile paintings exude the sexuality of the reproduction system of the Magnolia grandiflora. The large, cone-like forms of the Magnolia fruit are made from multiple ovaries, which bear vivid red seeds, that hang from the individual follicles by long silken threads. Roz’s depiction of these intimate parts of the pods is done at a larger scale, which arouses one’s desire for closer inspection.
Emily Roz exaggerates the visceral and sensual qualities
 of the pods through the use of saturated colors and the 
drama of baroque light. Roz enhances the shallow visual 
depth with the macro-texture of each form. She captures 
each minute detail of the final stages of propagation as 
the hard, lustrous crimson seeds protrude and penetrate their tantalizing furry enclosures. The exacting detail of these structures is counterbalanced by her use of the flat blue negative space surrounding the pods. These seemingly infinite fields of color paired with intense detail are inspired by Roz’s love of Northern Renaissance and Flemish paintings that use color in both realistic and symbolic ways.
“These paintings are my way of flirting. They want to turn you on, in a painting kind of way. Their texture and shapes may make you blush while their color and light appeals to you on a more cerebral level. Plants and animals have evolved for their essential purpose: to procreate. In these paintings I explore how both artworks and people pull out all the stops to get attention. These paintings are reminders of the universal impulse to use whatever resources we have to attract and connect, physically, emotionally or intellectually.”
- Emily Roz
"Spooning 2" oil on panel, 36"x36"
Born in 1972, Emily Roz received a BA from Hampshire College where she studied Art History, Literature and Weaving. She went on to receive an MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She has been reviewed in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, The Washington Post, Joy Quarterly, W+G Williamsburg News + Art, Apollo Magazine, The Brooklyn Rail and NewCity Chicago.  Emily was raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and currently works in Queens. She lives on a small island off the coast of North America with her husband and son. This is her third solo show at the Front Room Gallery.



FR: 15 - 15th Anniversary Exhibition Opens This Friday














Oct 10th-Nov 2nd, 2014
Reception: Friday, Oct 10th, 7-9
Outdoor Art Festival:
October 11th, 1-6


Featuring:
Amanda Alic, Sasha Bezzubov, Thomas Broadbent, Gregory Curry, Ethan Crenson, Lisa Dilillo, Mark Esper, Peter Fox, Amy Hill, Sascha Mallon, Stephen Mallon, Mark Masyga, Sean Hemmerle, Kim Holleman, David Kramer, Jesse Lambert, Allan Packer, Walker Pickering, Melissa Pokorny, Ross Racine, Kenneth Ragsdale, Emily Roz, Sante Scardillo, Philip Simmons, Mark Stilwell, Jeremy Slater, Patricia Smith, Rodger Stevens, Miho Suzuki, Joanne Ungar, Rosa Valado, Julia Whitney Barnes, Edie Winograde, Monika Wuhrer and more.

The Front Room Gallery is proud to announce FR:15, Front Room's Fifteenth Anniversary exhibition. We are thrilled to say that we have had over 117 exhibitions since we opened in Williamsburg at 147 Roebling Street on October 9th, 1999. This exhibition will feature some of our stalwarts that have been with us from the beginning such as Amanda Alic, Ethan Crenson, Sean Hemmerle, and Edie Winograde, as well as our current stable of artists who have shaped Front Room throughout the years and artists that have shown at Front Room in the past 15 years whose works we have always admired.

We have seen good and bad changes in Williamsburg in the last 6.66% of a century, and we are still happy to be here on Roebling Street right in the middle of the craziness. In 1999 none of us had cell phones, most artists sent their submissions in the form of slides, Chelsea was just getting started, LES and Bushwick didn't exist as art scenes and the idea of art fairs was just getting started. Since then Front Room and it's talented roster of artists has been involved in many art fairs and exchanges with museums and galleries throughout the world, and has received critical acclaim from renowned publications in print to hip young blogs online. We thank everyone for their continued support and look forward to a grand future.

In conjunction with our 15th Anniversary we are celebrating with an outdoor arts festival on the block of Hope Street, between Roebling and Havemeyer, adjacent to the gallery. Join us Saturday October 11th from 1-6PM for an afternoon of music, performance and video installations, featuring works from local artists.