Eight Minutes

NEW YORK  04.11.2012 – ContestaRockHair & Contaminate NYC are pleased to present Gate 535’s new exhibition project Eight Minutes (curated by Virginia Villari), a solo show by Brooklyn-based artist Melissa Murray, who created a brand new body of works specifically for this exhibition @ContestaRockHair NYC, opening april 11^th from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. Eight Minutes is a series of small drawings in which the artist explores the combination of two opposites: continuity and fragmentation. Melissa first created one big drawing representing one continuous scene, apparently happening in a congruous space/time frame. However, afterwards she separated the drawing into eight individual pieces. Melissa’s narrative unexpectedly opens up in eight different worlds with their own patterns and rules, uncovering how reality is much deeper and multifaceted than it seems. Melissa’s work stems from a strong interest in a psychoanalytical interpretation of worldly phenomena and in the conscious and unconscious effects of human action. In her drawings, animals are a recurrent subject and symbolize sincerity in life, a seemingly degenerative trait in human consciousness. These creatures represent purity and personify her dreams and fears for our collective future, particularly by showing just how far we have fallen off the natural path. The scenes Melissa draws are taken directly from a daily documentation of her dreams and collaged memories. With Eight Minutes Melissa aspires to create a story that will walk with the viewer through moments in time, capturing a multitude of emotions and sensations.