Something to Behold

Judgements of beauty, though among the most enduring topics explored across art and literature, still defer to the beholder. A new group show that opened earlier this month at Louise Alexander Gallery in Porto Cervo, Italy, “Apple of Discord” endeavors to investigate beauty and form through the contemporary eye. Containing work by  more than 20 international artists, the presentation is decidedly free of the mainstream, algorithmically determined consensus yet it doesn’t shy away from employing A.I. in futuristic re-interpretations of art historical aesthetics.

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Gallery co-founder Ayse Arnal admits that the questions driving this concept have resonated with her for years. “How can we discover the truth within ourselves without being unduly influenced by external factors or societal opinions?” says Arnal, who curated the exhibition. “In an era where digital manipulation and societal expectations frequently shape our perceptions, it felt imperative to challenge and redefine what beauty truly encompasses.” With that, the metaphysical logic of Rene Magritte’s iconic The Treachery of Images, 1929, also became a touchstone guiding the curation of the exhibition, wherein nothing is as it seems at first glance.

Take artist and creative director Charlie Engman’s Embrace (Scrapps), 2023, an A.I.-generated image capturing a tan, glossy-faced model-esque woman as she holds an armful of what appears to be partially used art supplies. Loosely echoing this is a Surrealism-influenced Guy Bourdin photograph for the March 1972 issue of French Vogue in which we see a model’s face gazing up at a phallic, larger-than-life tower of red lipstick.

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Arnal points to Rachel MacLean’s oil and acrylic painting It’s A…, 2024, as exemplary of the overarching theme. At first glance, the work takes on a Rococo aesthetic in flirty imagery and pastel tones  Here, a male and female figure in an intimate position are surrounded by anthropomorphic raindrops, swept up in tangles of silky pink and blue fabric. “She uses familiar, baby-centric imagery like balloons, ribbons, and gift boxes in soft, pastel colors to create scenes that initially seem innocent and whimsical,” Arnal says more broadly of MacLean’s practice. “However, there's an underlying complexity and darkness that reflects the transformative and sometimes unsettling journey of childbirth.”

Most of the works on view—including selections from Beth Frey, Serban Ionescu, Oda Jaune, and more—while immediately visually beguiling, further imply ambiguous narratives that further draw you further into their idiosyncratic world. In this manner, the pieces become something of a mirror, to, as they tap into “the intersection of personal experience and artistic expression,” as Arnal phrases it. A universally beautiful thing, indeed.

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‍“Apple of Discord” is on view until September 8, 2024 at Louise Alexander Gallery at Via Aga Khan, 1, 07021 Porto Cervo SS, Italy.