PRESS RELEASE

TERRIBLE BEAUTY : under the canopy

A young girl making her way home and a carefree bike ride near the woods become an irreparable encounter with a group of teenage boys. In that moment, her life shifts for years to come.   Amy Pleasant, the artist, creates a body of work rooted in personal experience as a survivor of childhood sexual assault.  The result is an exploration of trauma, healing and the nature of memory; the adult looking back as an observer applying visual language to a life changing event in the woods.

In the moment, the mind’s protective detachment created distracting innocuous snapshots which morphed into iconic visual images of that day’s horrible events.  The physical details of the terror and trauma yolked with the victim’s perspective, laying in the dirt under that tree.  These images became visual metaphors which marked the day the world became a dangerous place. The psychological carnage left in its wake led to a long and complex journey all survivors must take to reclaim their dignity and power.

Installation artwork, paintings and media reflect a personal exploration of the memory of trauma and the imagery which lingered through the years.  The exhibition creates a microcosmic visit to that day in the 1960's embedded with the suggestion of the passing of time, restoration and integration. The closure of a decades long journey giving a voice to the young girl without a voice. The exhibition will run June 2 - July 3, 2016 at Gallery 110 in Seattle.  Opening: First Thursday Art Walk, Thursday, June 2, 6-8pm.  Artist reception:Saturday, June 4,  artist talk @ 7:00 (6-8pm)  Gallery 110 hours: Thur. -  Sat. 12-5.

Exhibition made possible byArtist Trust.