De Buck Gallery is thrilled to present Ladies of Leisure: REWA & Megan Gabrielle Harris, a joint exhibition of work by artists REWA and Megan Gabrielle Harris. The exhibition will feature large-scale figurative portraits of women in the signature style of the artists. Showing at the gallery’s New York location, the exhibition will run from May 5 through May 28, 2022.
Ladies of Leisure features figurative paintings by two exciting young artists whose works invite interpretations of the female experience as it relates to culture, societal expectations, and self-exploration.
For her works in the show, Nigerian artist REWA offers a sampling of her latest series, Renascenting Africa, which portrays the modern African woman as “fashionable, intrepid, and unbothered by the external gaze,” according to the artist. REWA states, “The paintings that comprise this series are for us, by us and starring us.”
Staying true to her signature style, the portraiture is done in a technique redolent of stained glass that depicts her subjects’ skin tones in a variety of colors, from various shades of cream and brown, to more vibrant blues and purples. This method was also partly influenced by the artists’ anatomy studies while getting her degree in Physiology & Pharmacology.
While the portraits have a sense of light-hearted solitude on the surface, they hold significant meaning to the artist related to particular subjects she paints. REWA draws parallels to her own Igbo culture and uses stories of the individual to connect the rich history of Nigerian culture with the modern Afropolitan woman.
Megan Gabrielle Harris presents several new works for Ladies of Leisure. Continuing on her theme of women in repose, Harris’ latest contribution is influenced by the artist’s transition from New York to Sacramento. Upon her move, she began taking small trips to the coast, Los Angeles, and Mexico.
A common perspective in Megan Gabrielle Harris’ works is the importance of prioritizing rest in a world where hustling results in neglecting oneself, and this series is no different when manifesting leisure. Similar to previous works, Harris’ female figures are relaxed and peaceful. The surrounding environment is depicted in a painterly fashion, which mimics the chaos of the world outside one’s respite.
In works like Reverie, the landscape is influenced by train rides to and from the Bay Area. Here the outside world seems to sweep by the lounging woman.
REWA (Nigerian, b. 1987) considers herself a native of Nigeria, United Kingdom and Johannesburg. She has a B.Sc. in Physiology & Pharmacology from the University College London (UCL) and works in Financial Services. Entirely self-taught, REWA focuses on a female centric narrative that often explores aspects of Igbo culture.
Megan Gabrielle Harris (American, b. 1990) divides her time between New York and Sacramento, where she lives and works. She received her B.A. in Art History from California State University, Sacramento.
