Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1543122
november | page 45 | 2010 achel Hovnanian's work ranges from sculpture to drawing, narrative photographic studies to massive oils on canvas that focus on false ideals, coupled with our societal aspirations to attain a flawless façade. Her "Too Good to Be True" series of black-and-white photographs, shown here and on the cover, juxtaposes stiff trophy figurines — beauties with satin sashes and bouquets dipped in ghostly white plaster — with Lilliputian scenes of dollhouse furniture starkly painted flat white. Each vignette, theatrically confined in a suppressive space, is paired with a cheeky title that perfectly punctuates the thought expressed in the frame. For instance, No Prenup depicts a pretty young trophy wife poised atop her four-poster bed, surrounded by high-end shopping bags, while her balding, older husband stands at the foot. Casting doubts, aspersions? You be the judge. Dining Table illustrates the space that's grown between the trophy wife and her mate, with each seated at opposite ends of a table that must seat 24. In Beauty and the Doughnuts, a more voluptuous version of the perfect size-0 beauty queen, her hips and bottom engorged from her weakness for sweets, gazes longingly at a glass case filled with doughnuts, cookies and pastries. Asked what inspired her newest series of photographs, Hovnanian replies, "It speaks directly to how I feel about a variety of self-worth issues women face. Beauty plus status equals celebrity. Celebrity is coveted and is no longer an American export; it's a global issue. In my work, I prefer to refrain from judgment. Some might be amused, some might be incensed, and hopefully everyone feels something." Take a look past the public persona, the pretty faces and ask, as Hovnanian has: Is it perfection attained or too good to be true? Rachel Hovnanian's works are available through Collette Blanchard Gallery, New York City. In December, this exhibition of narrative studies printed on watercolor paper will be on view at Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago. Hovnanian's previous works have been exhibited with Meredith Long & Company, Houston, and were represented by Jason McCoy, Inc., at the Dallas Art Fair. Information rachelhovnanian.com. Left: Rachel Hovnanian's I'll Just Do It Myself, 2010. BeLow: No Prenup, 2010. MiddLe Left: Beauty and the Doughnuts, 2010. BottoM RigHt: Chaos to Bliss in One Day, 2010