Liz Neal

About

Liz Neal uses the gallery as her studio— and quite literally paints herself in. Every inch of the main wall space is covered with paint and scrawled text creating a spectacular visual decadence. The artist has a provocative practice which often confronts pornography. She uses fantasy imagery embodied with sexual references to denounce the malevolence and banality in the advertising-saturated media which is consumerism oriented. Neal's explosive canvases are punk inspired odes to subjects — prostitutes, hermaphrodites, porn magazines, shocking old newspaper cuttings, advertising cards and banner slogans, all shouting for attention. Her manipulation of paint, as well as her sculptures expresses the physicality of the flesh. The freedom of her brushstrokes emphasizes the transitory nature of what is caught on canvas - youth inevitably fades and pleasure is followed by comedown. They are intelligent and compelling works which juxtapose low grade, disposable sensibilities with an attention to the handmade opulently crafted objects of a former age.