Allison Gildersleeve at Galleri Andersson/Sandström, Stockholm 2/4-10/5 2009

Allison Gildersleeve from New York makes her Sweden debut in both of Galleri Andersson/Sandström’s galleries. The exhibition opens in Stockholm on Thursday 2 April, five days after the opening in Umeå. The Here and Then is the name of the exhibition, which shows a powerful painting, where the predominant motives are dramatic and wild depictions of landscapes.

Allison Gildersleeve was born in 1970. She lives and works in Brooklyn. Gildersleeve is educated at Milton Avery Graduate School in New York and Parsons School of Design in Paris, among others. She has had several solo exhibitions in the US and has participated in group exhibitions both in the US and Korea. Throughout the years she has received several grants and distinctions for her work.

Allison Gildersleeve examines memory and the present in her work: “In my paintings, I am investigating the way that a space can effortlessly possess here, now, then, and later. The work attempts to stretch landscape painting—the study of light, form, and season—so it also incorporates time and emotion.” From this search for the connections between present, past and future comes the title of the exhibition: The Here and Then.

Gildersleeve works mostly with acrylic and oil on canvas. The point of departure for each work is the exploration of a space or a place. She paints layer upon layer, the previous layer being either five years old, or created the day before. Gildersleeve uses photos and drawings to, bit by bit, create her painting. The painting changes dramatically during the progression of the work, from one day to another, the ideas come during the working process.

In connection with the exhibitions, Galleri Andersson/Sandström has published a catalogue containing all 21 works together with a text by Astrid Sylwan, presenting the work of Allison Gildersleeve.