PAUL CHIAPPE AND PEGGY PREHEIM: QUIET ACCORD
April 8, 2012 - July 8, 2012

Paul Chiappe (Scotland) and Peggy Preheim (NY) both work with pencil on paper to create delicate and powerful drawings on an impossibly minute scale. Many works measure no larger than a postage stamp and require a magnifying glass to properly view the incredible detail contained within. Both artists explore the figure in their work in various ambiguous and nuanced narratives, but diverge in their execution and drawing styles as well as in their conceptual points of view.

Preheim uses personal, found, and historical photographic sources as her starting point. Her figures often float in a sea of white paper, with no visible ground to tie them to the page. Some figures drift dangerously close to the edge of the page or appear to fade into their white backgrounds, stirring feelings of vulnerability and isolation.

Chiappe’s drawings come from imagery exclusively found on the Internet. Realistic as his images are, he alters, adds to, or conflates his drawings to phase out existing elements or to introduce some subtlety that did not exist in the original. Chiappe frequently injects elements of popular culture into seemingly historical documents to humorous ends.