November 7 through December 19, 2015
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 7, 7-10PM

The hauntingly beautiful and brooding artworks of Camilla Taylor beckon audiences to draw ever closer toward them in order to achieve a deeper understanding of their own thoughts or desires. Inciting profound introspection and analysis, each artwork serves as a catalyst, actualizing feelings and concepts to emerge from the shadows of one’s mind.

Waiting Shadows, Taylor’s new solo show at Bermudez Projects, offers a series of sculptures, etchings, and engravings of monochromatic apparitions awaiting to be summoned. These ghost-like beings are neither benign or malicious. Instead, their purpose is to awaken the subconsciousness and facilitate awareness of the self.

“For [this] body of work…I thought about figures in waiting, in anticipation,” states Taylor. “A commonality in most of [the] pieces are the hands and delicate gestures.” Indeed, many of the artworks appear to be on the verge of awakening from a deep slumber and be brought to the foreground of consciousness. Downcast eyes, slightly raised hands, and elongated arms are physical manifestations of thought made corporeal.

Over 25 works are on view in Waiting Shadows, including a suite of 12 framed intaglio (etchings), oversized monoprints on paper, and a series of small and large scale sculpture installations made from cast pewter and/or Cartonnage (a type of material used traditionally for Egyptian funerary rituals).

Upon entering the space, an imposing head rests on the floor, while another figure suspends from the ceiling with its arms stretched downward. Other diminutive figures perch themselves onto the walls or upon stands, as the remaining phantom beings line the perimeter as if they were thoughts swirling about the mind.

“For the large hanging sculpture, I’m illustrating resignation, waiting so long that you’ve become a part of the room, from floor to ceiling,” Taylor continues. “The hands are slack and patient below the figure at the end of its long arms. In some ways, I think of these figures as those without an occupation yet, waiting to be recalled to mind, some still expectant, but most are patient. The large head, resting on its side, indicates that the space is a reflection of a subconscious realm.”

Waiting Shadows’ dark palette belies the light of truth and awareness it actually brings. The exhibit serves as a reminder of the long held idea that through darkness comes light.

Camilla Taylor (b. 1981) was born in Hayward, California and raised in Provo, Utah. She received her BFA from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City in 2006; and earned her MFA at California State University at Long Beach in 2011. She has participated in many group and solo shows throughout Los Angeles and the United States. Taylor lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

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