A New Norm: Michele Liebler

now until June 20, 2009 // First Street Gallery // New York, NY

Liebler's new series of portraits has led to a social commentary on our sorry state of existence. They take form in expressionistic and sometimes even cartoonish works. Her paintings, monotypes, and works on paper all share a common thread. Our threaten existence. They range from environmental victims, to political puppet heads, and Barbie Doll looking women. Liebler remarks that, "This is the world, this is what's going on around me and I can't change that." In Losing Face she propels her victims in a hybrid world of masked faces, each with their own personalized face mask. Each portrait is different from the other and each one in there own separate panel, arranged and stacked on top of each other to form an impressive 9 panel installation.

Installed in Subculture the portraits collectively communicate an ingrained social narrative. Whether she is working from her figures or from an image bank, the colored pencils, graphite, and charcoal give the pieces slightly eerie presences. The portraits have been set down in a direct and apt manner, while the monotypes become more lyrical in nature present us with the hybrid quality of the medium.

Michele Liebler received her BFA from Purchase College. She works and lives in New York City. She has exhibited extensively on the East Coast in such venues as the Parrish Art Museum, Southhampton, NY; Arnot Art Museum, Elmira NY; College of Notre Dame, Baltimore, MD; University of Pittsburgh, PA; National Academy of Design, NYC; the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH.

www.firststreetgallery.net