JAMIE ADAMS IS PARIS DREAM’N AT PHILIP SLEIN GALLERY

Jamie Adams, one of the stars of the most recent Art Chicago fair (so says Pedro Velez, artnet.com) will be showing the latest paintings from his "jeannie" series, a realist grisaille homage to the beautiful and tragic Jean Seberg, star of Godard's cult-film classic, Breathless. In Paris Dream’n Jamie re-frames the Seberg character's Paris apartment as a painting studio and a self-referential site. Jamie himself appears in his paintings as an androgynous child, a younger version, perhaps, of Jean Seberg the androgynous adult. "There is an interesting familial resemblance," Jamie says of Seberg. "Her facial physiognomy reminds me of my mother, my wife, myself, etc." Asked why the action of the paintings does not follow the film, Jamie says, "I've left the film. I mean, this is my own world now." The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog with an essay by Daniel McGrath, art historian, critic, and co-founder of the Isolation Room project space.

Also showing will be Mel Watkin’s Trunk Show curated by Dana Turkovic, co-founder of the Isolation Room project space, independent curator and writer. In an essay written for the exhibition, Dana writes about Mel’s tree drawings: ”Many artists are inspired by natural themes, claiming a close kinship with the world of nature, and so Watkin’s installation of exquisite drawings is the direct outcome of four years of careful observation of the flora in her Southern Illinois locale.”

Who: The Philip Slein Gallery

Phone: 314.621.4634

Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10am-5pm

When: Reception: Friday, January 28th, 2011, 6-8 pm runs through February 25th

Where: 1319 Washington Ave. Downtown St. Louis

Cost: Free and open to the public.