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KM21 x Lisa Brice (Smoke and Mirrors)

Kunstmuseum Den Haag

Two years ago Lisa Brice had a major show at Tate Britain. This autumn GEM proudly presents her first museum exhibition in the Netherlands. Lisa Brice (b. 1968, Cape Town), who divides her time between London and Trinidad, paints and draws women, often naked and absorbed in everyday activities – lingering in front of the mirror, perhaps, or casually smoking a cigarette. Depicting them with sketchy faces and sometimes striking blue skin, Brice deliberately obfuscates their identity. Brice’s first solo exhibition in the Netherlands, titled ‘Smoke and Mirrors’, can be seen until 5 April 2021.
The tension between revealing and concealing is a common thread running through the show in The Hague. The women’s poses in the paintings often refer to compositions by famous artists like Manet, Vallotton and Picasso, though Brice is rarely explicit in this. She lifts figures from their original context, offering new perspectives on the art historical tradition of the female nude. No longer submitting to the male gaze, these women self possesed. As Brice herself says, “This transposition rescues previously isolated figures of women from the lonely confines of a renowned art historical painting and gives them a new existence”.
“As a figurative painter it is significant that historical figuration seems invariably created by white men for an audience of predominantly white men.” – Lisa Brice
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© 2020 Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Lisa Brice: Smoke and Mirrors

About KM21

KM21 (launched in 2002 as GEM museum of contemporary art) is part of Kunstmuseum Den Haag. It has its own curator and programme of exhibitions that follows current developments in the visual arts. Housed in a separate building next to the Kunstmuseum, known as the Schamhart Wing, where Fotomuseum Den Haag is also located, the museum showcases artists from the Netherlands to the world, and international artists to The Hague and the rest of the Netherlands. The visual impact and appeal of its exhibitions inspire visitors to find out more about contemporary art and discover new things, ensuring that they see more.

About KM21

KM21 (launched in 2002 as GEM museum of contemporary art) is part of Kunstmuseum Den Haag. It has its own curator and programme of exhibitions that follows current developments in the visual arts. Housed in a separate building next to the Kunstmuseum, known as the Schamhart Wing, where Fotomuseum Den Haag is also located, the museum showcases artists from the Netherlands to the world, and international artists to The Hague and the rest of the Netherlands. The visual impact and appeal of its exhibitions inspire visitors to find out more about contemporary art and discover new things, ensuring that they see more.

Case
Lisa Brice (Smoke and Mirrors)

Partner
Kunstmuseum Den Haag

Target Audience
Millennials
Traditional Museum Audience

Project Year
2021

Production
Together & Dedicated

Concept & Creative Directory
André Marques & Tim Wes

Director of Photography
René Huwaë

Visual Edit & Color Grading
René Huwaë

Music
Tim Wes