Louise Giovanelli
A Song of Ascents

The title A Song of Ascents is taken from a series of religious psalms that were traditionally recited by pilgrims on their travels to holy sites. For Giovanelli, the idea of an ​“ascent” reflects our human longing to attain higher states of consciousness, whether through spiritual devotion, sensuality and love, states of intoxication, the thrill of performance, or just horror. This journey to the transcendence of consciousness unfolds in her paintings as an uncanny melding of emotions in which exaggerated expression, richly layered textures, and intensive color-rich images engender both ecstasy and discomfort.

Alongside existing works, this exhibition presents nine new paintings produced especially for the occasion. Many of the works are inspired by scenes from films, while some of the more recent paintings were made on the basis of photographs that the artist took in working-class clubs and theaters in England. These places, which are often characterized by modest stages, worn velvet curtains, and a strange mix of everyday lightness and staged theatrics, are transformed by the artist into venues of shared performance and hedonistic escapism.

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