Title Grace Electric
Artists Michelle Blade
Duration Nov. 16 2024- Jan. 19, 2025
Opening Nov. 16 (Sat.) 3 p.m.
Venue
Asia Art Center (Beijing)

Michelle Blade:Grace Electric

Asia Art Center is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in China of the represented artist Michelle Blade (b. 1981), Grace Electric, at Asia Art Center (Beijing). The exhibition will be on view from November 16, 2024, to January 19, 2025, and will feature 14 paintings created by Blade in 2024. Through still lifes and landscapes, the works explore moments of “a year in the life” as seen through the eyes of a mother, a painter, and a wanderer. 

A third-generation Angeleno, Blade’s work is deeply informed by the city as well as her connection to the natural world. She depicts lush wild gardens of Southern California, blazing sunsets over desert landscapes, and scenes of her daughters traversing Los Angeles.

Blade often takes her two daughters, Lula, 10, and Olive, 7, on “painting hunts” around Los Angeles. Their frequent trips to Joshua Tree National Park for rock climbing are not only a source of inspiration for Blade’s paintings, but also a testament to the quality time she spends with her daughters. Blade likens these hikes in nature with her daughters to pilgrimages, journeys that serve as school, church, and art all in one.

Art writer Mariella Rudi has used the term “Maternal Sublime” to describe Blade’s artistic style, which goes beyond simply depicting the grandeur of nature to personify nature, especially in connection with motherhood. Unlike the traditional Romantic landscape paintings, which emphasize the fear of nature, Blade’s landscapes are filled with awe for the power of nature and a celebration of maternal strength, showcasing the nurturing and life-giving aspects of the natural world. For example, in triptych Exquisite Risk (Covington Loop Vista), which depicts Blade and her daughters rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park, the painting not only shows the thrill and challenge of rock climbing, but also conveys the intimate relationship between mother and daughters and their shared awe of nature.

In her creative process, Blade utilizes a wet-on-wet technique, allowing acrylic paint to flow freely on poplin, creating an ethereal and dreamlike landscape effect. She compares the unpredictability of this medium to working with an invisible collaborator, emphasizing that she must constantly respond to this uncertainty during the creation process. Blade believes that both painting and motherhood require constant letting go in order to achieve ultimate joy.

In addition to landscapes, Blade also creates still lifes, often depicting flowers at home or outdoors. These floral still lifes are not merely decorative but also examine the transience and cyclical nature of life, echoing the Dutch and Spanish Vanitas tradition.In Mother’s Day Bouquet, Blade portrays a bouquet she bought for herself on Mother’s Day, reflecting on motherhood and the passage of time. Meanwhile, Giving Salt captures a fleeting moment of her daughter at the doorstep of her ex-husband’s home, where the glow of the setting sun conveys nostalgia for the past and a sense of hope for the future.

Blade’s work is also deeply informed by the Eastside of Los Angeles. She believes that the Eastside has “almost a wildness to it,” unlike the manicured Westside, it is more overgrown, dense, and offbeat. In Ordinary Transcendence, Blade depicts a street corner in Glassell Park, where the streets of Los Angeles are teeming with life after the rain. The lush vegetation and the gloomy sky form a sharp contrast, showcasing the unique natural and cultural landscape of Eastside Los Angeles.

The Grace Electric exhibition is more than just a visual feast; it is a profound exploration of nature, motherhood, and personal experience. Blade’s paintings invite viewers to embark on this journey with her, to experience the tension between the sublime and the beautiful, and to discover extraordinary meaning in the familiar routines of everyday life.


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