CARI VANDER YACHT // plants in the back

On view June 10 - July 3, 2011
Opening reception Friday June 10, 6pm - 9pm
Artist talk and performance Sunday June 12th, 6pm

Whether framing found portraits or entangling pictures of her neighbor’s trash, Cari Vander Yacht’s painted flora in Plants in the Back combines with the surrounding elements of Amsterdam to create a rhythmic layering that obliterates any sense of compositional structure. The resulting shapes and patterns mimic the playfulness of collage while the varied brushstrokes heighten the works’ overall dynamism. Ultimately, each piece, and its assortment of colorful ephemera, maps Vander Yacht’s explorations in Amsterdam aſter her recent move there from the States. A personal narration of a foreign city- decorated, of course, in lively verdure.

"Creating art for the city I moved away from immediately aſter I leſt felt like being a sentimental hostage. The whole act kept a large part of my brain focused thousands of miles from where I physically was and so I started voraciously gathering visuals in my immediate area as a way of focusing on my new home. For me, this show has one foot in both countries, which was pretty stressful all around but ultimately illuminating. Can’t spell “Paint” with out “Pain”, amIright? Eventually, the more I painted and the more accustomed I became to Amsterdam, the looser and more interesting the paintings turned out. This show grew with me in my most trying time in the city: I had to find my footing here as I found my footing with the work."

BIO
Cari Vander Yacht is a visual artist and graphic designer originally from Portland, Oregon, now residing in Amsterdam, NL. Her previous solo exhibition, Mostly Pictures of Russians, was shown at Tiga (Portland, OR) in March 2010. In addition to her fine art practice, she curated and published Does This Make It Better? in early 2010, featuring 28 Portland artists, as well as art directed and performed in Ugly Face Wednesday from 2009 to 2010.Plants in the Back is her first solo exhibition at Nationale and coincides with the announcement of her representation by the gallery.

Sneak peek from a recent studio visit HERE

To request a price list for this exhibition, please email info@nationale.us