SFAI's Lauren Scime

Courtesy of the artist

Lauren Scime, "Untitled #5"

Courtesy of the artist

Lauren Scime, "Untitled #6"

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Artist's Contact: pseudowish@yahoo.com

ARTIST'S STAEMENT:
My current body of work consists of a series of figurative paintings and drawings that explore ambiguous psycho-dramatic narratives. The two figures in each painting are presented to the viewer nude, vulnerable to one another, interacting in ways which are ambiguous in nature, representing an array of divergent emotions.

The poses of the bodies contain subtle clues that allow the viewer to think metaphorically about how the carnal interaction between the two bodies becomes a metaphor for the psychical nuances of a relationship. While the people in the images maintain consistent in their own identities, they represent a more existential exploration into the realm of the human condition.

The paintings are, independently and as a group, meditations on the interactivity between intimate partners. The various poses are evocative of the physical manifestations of desire, both sexual and emotional, anger, frustration, tension, comfort, claustrophobia, resentment and neediness that are present in varying amounts in all relationships.

Also present in the work is a play between dominance and submission that at times is seemingly overt, though subtle gestures allow the viewer to begin to question whether what seems to be is in fact the reality of the situation.

At moments, the person who, to the casual viewer, appears to be dominant, is actually in a position of submission. For example, a knee placed just so, allows the bottom figure, seemingly dominated, to possess the power to overcome the other with a single sweep. This is intended to put into question issues of psychological domination and submission within relationships, and likewise, issues of power and vulnerability.

While the flatness of the background and the iconic nature of the figures are characteristic of contemporary figurative painting, the dark colors and realistic rendering of the figures makes subtle reference to the visual language of classical portrait painting. Through this mixing of old and new visual syntax, it is my aim to take the work out of the specifically temporal and into a dialogue cast in the realm of the universal, timeless nature of human existence.

It is my aim that the viewer finds in the work a psychological connection to the complex and often contradictory emotions represented by these figures. This relates their disposition to those we all experience within our most intimate relationships.

ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHY:
Lauren Scime is an artist currently working in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has shown extensively in northern California and western New York and is included in the permanent collection at the Griffis Sculpture Park in Ellicotville, N.Y.

Lauren has co-directed a non-profit gallery and has curated several shows and events in San Francisco and Buffalo, N.Y. She also has taught workshops in digital media and web design.

She recently received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, previously having obtained her BFA from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2002.

ABOUT SFAI:
At the San Francisco Art Institute, art is more than objects and processes; it is also a way of thinking, an approach to both knowledge and the world itself.

SFAI's degree programs further the relationship between the practices, histories and theories of contemporary art and culture. The School of Studio Practice consists of the institute's historical departments of Design+Technology, Film, New Genres, Painting, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture. Offering BFA and MFA degrees and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, The School of Studio Practice is centered on the development of the artist's vision through studio-based experiments and the understanding that the work of the artist is an essential part of society.

The School of Interdisciplinary Studies, offers programs in History and Theory of Contemporary Art (BA, MA), Urban Studies (BA, MA), and Exhibition and Museum Studies (MA). Supporting the role of research and other forms of education, The School of Interdisciplinary Studies is based on the premise that critical reading, thinking, and writing—informed by an in-depth understanding of theory and practice—are essential for engaging and understanding contemporary art and global society. Also under this school's aegis are SFAI's four centers for interdisciplinary study: Art+Science; Public Practice; Word, Text, and Image; and Media Culture. Each center sponsors symposia, seminars, exhibitions, research fellowships, and residencies at SFAI during the academic year.