Rebecca Chamberlain - Desk Set: I Magnin Reception/Corner Office, 1936-37

Rebecca Chamberlain

STATEMENT I rely on the human tendency towards expectation and delusion; moods omnipresent in every era. Early Modernism exhibits these human traits with every architectural detail against the backdrop of a world in political, cultural and economic chaos. My interest lies in archiving the mood of the places where life, during this contradictory time, was lived; from the creation of a mass marketed bed to dining on a customized ocean liner. I strive to re-present the era using a cultural mash-up of rooms, objects and exteriors that convey more copious humanism than a single portrait would. After collecting images from a variety of era relevant books, magazines, photo collections and site visits they are organized into categories. Images are edited, cropped and flipped to connect, forming separate panel paintings that, when hung together, become screens and free-standing double sided objects. Using custom mixed litho inks the spaces are painted on a vintage architectural material developed in the early 1900s. Working in a high contrast manner of painting- deep and bright tones, opaque edges and elusive washes- each panel is monochromatic, inspired by the theme of the space and mimicking the dreamy opalescence of ballpoint ink. BIOGRAPHY Rebecca Chamberlain received her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Chamberlain is known for her accomplishments in fine art, fashion and performance. She has exhibited at DODGEgallery, VOLTA NY, 303 Gallery and Knoedler Project Space, New York, judi rotenberg gallery, Boston, Champion Fine Art, LA and Agenzio04, Bologna, Italy. She was the recipient of Artlog's best booth at VOLTA NY 2010 and Joan Mitchell Grant. Chamberlain's work has been reviewed in Artforum, The New York Times, Art in America, Artinfo.com, The Boston Globe, Flash Art and Tema Celeste among other publications. Her work is included in the collection of Fidelity Investments. Raised in Pennsylvania, Chamberlain currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Chamberlain is represented by DODGEgallery NY.