'Shifting Perspective' Tyler Lafreniere and Polly Shindler

About

Deanna Evans Projects is pleased to present a two-person exhibition with Tyler Lafreniere and Polly Shindler, Shifting Perspective. In his silkscreened and hand painted works, Lafreniere uses graphic representations of culturally familiar objects to explore and critique masculinity. Shindler loosely, intuitively paints what are considered to be more domestic, feminine objects including beds with quilts, vases with flowers, and hanging laundry. 

While the works are at odds with each other when it comes to style and technique, when shown together, their similarities are revealed. They both render each object with care and tenderness, which are juxtaposed against their minimal backgrounds. Specifically, each piece has a generous amount of empty, quiet space, providing a moment of rest and uneasiness. All the works, particularly in the empty spaces, allude to a human presence without any hint of a figure, allowing the viewer to place themselves into the pieces. 

By taking items out of their prescribed settings in Lafreniere’s work, or by disrupting the pictorial plane and perspective in Shindler’s, the viewer leaves with not only familiarity, but a bit of uneasy nostalgia.

-

Tyler Lafreniere is a visual artist based in Queens, NY. In 2006, he earned his BA in Fine Art from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. During his undergraduate studies, he also concentrated in Printmaking at Goldsmiths University in London. He has shown in various venues in New York and around the United States.

Polly Shindler (b. 1977, New Haven, CT) received her B.A. in History from The University of Massachusetts in 2001, her M.F.A. in Painting from Pratt Institute in 2011 and attended the Vermont Studio Center in 2013. She has shown recently at Momenta Art in New Work City, Second Family at 2 Rivington, Paper Jam at the Neuberger Museum and Family Ties: Brooklyn/Dallas at 500X in Dallas, TX. She is resident curator at Trestle Gallery in Brooklyn. Recent curatorial projects include Oracle, Star Gazer/Ancient Light,  The Wanderers, Treasure Trove, One and Done and Future Folk Pt. 1 & 2 in Brooklyn, NY.  Polly was named one of “30 Artists to Watch in 2012” by NY Arts Magazine.