Monica Dixon, Rock Hill, SC., 100 x 150 cm, Acrylic on Canvas, 2015
When is a house in a field not just a house in a field? When it comprises the main subject of a luminous painting by Mónica Dixon, whose deceptively simple but metaphysical paintings have developed a cult-like following in Asia. Represented exclusively in Asia by Barnadas Huang, her works have commanded attention after selling out at showings at art fairs in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Mónica Dixon, Fairfield, 100 x 100 cm, Acrylicon canvas, 2015
Born in 1971 in New Jersey, USA, Dixon received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rutgers University in 1997. Drawing inspiration from landscapes that evoke the works of Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper, Dixon’s mysterious houses sit calmly on vast plains and at the brink of interstate highways, with clean and crisp horizons depicting different times of the day. As a counterpoint, her interiors present desolate staircases and hallways, reminding the viewer that it is the individual that makes a home, and not the other way round.
But what separates her work is how her paintings take on an enigmatic and contemplative air. Indeed, Dixon infuses them with emotions, thoughts and energy that are almost tangible to the viewer, suggesting an artist who is trying to find her roots by discerning the ingredients that differentiate a house from a home.
Mónica Dixon, The Other Side of Sleep, 150 x 150 cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2015
“Mónica’s works are highly charged with energy despite their simplicity,” explains Loh Weiren, gallery director of Barnadas Huang. “What stands out is her understanding and representation of light. It infuses and seeps through spaces, creating form in the manner of its presence or absence.”
Rachel Chin, art consultant at Barnadas Huang, elaborates on the poignancy of the works,
“In this exhibition, the unifying is how Mónica transforms the familiar into the unfamiliar, highlighting the house as a vessel for our distinct identities against our need for shelter. Through this, the viewer is invited to consider their understanding of what a home is and means, and how we as individuals shape the spaces we inhabit.”
Dixon’s first solo exhibition in Asia debuted at Art Central in Hong Kong in March 2015 before coming to Singapore, where the exhibition will run from April 11th to June 10th, 2015.
Exhibition: A Universal Truth
Dates: 11 April – 10 June 2015
Venue: Barnadas Huang, 61 Duxton Road, Singapore 089525
Hours: Tue – Fri 12 – 7pm; Sat 11 – 7pm; Sun 11 – 6pm (Closed on Mon)
Web: www.barnadashuang.com
