ART :: Allison Malinsky and the Places of Memory :: RETORNO
Ida y Vuelta (outward journey and return), 2012; oil on canvas, 34” x 48.”
Introduce yourself…whatever that means to you.
I am Allison Yvette Malinsky. I am a painter.
I am my collective experience. My work is always on my mind.
I think about painting a great deal – colors, forms,… the two together and in nature… the patterns in which clouds, the sea and people move, inequalities and geometrics…here in New York or abroad – there is so much to see in the world, and my eyes are open.
I returned to New York City mid-June of this year, 2012, having lived in Spain for the previous two years. My visa ran out and I landed this solo show, no better reasons to return. The return was abrupt and I am still dealing with reverse culture shock despite having lived here in the city for 13 years prior.
What – what do you make? How – how do you make this thing or these things?and, crucially, WHY? what are the questions that drive you?
The product of what I make is the painting which examines the structure of landscapes as filtered through my memory, contemplation and experience.
Azul, 2012 (set of two); acrylic stain, acrylic and oil on canvas;
each canvas is 9” x 13.”
For Retorno I presented visions of places that seem to exist only in memory – places that I may revisit, but to which I can never return. The compositions create mysterious spaces outside of time, while the overwhelming use of blue imbues the work with longing. Colors are important in this show, the blues as mentioned and the bright reds alluding to the metaphorical sunset of another day soon to pass and saffron’s strong nostalgic smell. I also use bright yellow with blacks, ‘the return felt as if the fluorescent lights were turned on’ – a statement I made when asked how it felt to return – also the title of one painting.
When and where?
My studio is in Williamsburg. I lived there for 7 years before I left, and since I have returned it is a new place
to me. There are so many new restaurants, shops and more people, more in general. I love my studio, a white
Untitled, 2012; acrylic stain on canvas, 22″ x 18.”
box with two high placed windows letting in the light. It feels as though it could be a white box anywhere, I like that. I make work there for hours on end at any time of the day, I work just like any other person who owns their own company. It is about the journey to the end, whatever it takes.
Each painting is its own world as goes in a conversation between Philip Guston and Clark Coolidge:
PG: “I once made an analogy that, in painting, creating, it’s a court. But unlike a court, you’re the plaintiff, the defendant, the lawyer, the judge, and the jury. And most artists want to settle outside of court. No trial.”
CC: “It’s a perfect image, because that’s how you do make money in court, you settle out. If you don’t, you lose all your money in the process.”
PG: “That’s right. Well, in Italian, trial is processo. It’s called process. Or in German, it’s prozess. And in French, it’s procès. The trial is process.”
I like to say, poco a poco, a line that was always fed to me in Spain. Everything can’t come at once, nor can we do it all at once. Take it easy, one thing at a time. The work and theirs results will judge their own end.
Allison Malinsky
RETORNO
443 PAS Gallery
September 12th – October 12th, 2012
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 12th, 6-8pm
4 4 3 P A S Gallery is located at 443 Park Avenue South, Suite 604, New York. The gallery is open on Mondays through Thursdays from 10-6, Fridays from 10-4 and Saturday – Sunday by appointment. For more information please email 443PAS@gmail.com or call 212-447-7742.
