in her 2013 series The Aunties Project, a collection of nude oil paintings starring a group of older women—affectionately nicknamed “the aunties”—in all of their highly detailed glory.
“They’re more than just my mom’s friends,” she says of the aunties, who make an appearance in her latest body of work. “They are particularly incredible people. They are much more comfortable in their bodies than many people are in our society.”
By placing her subjects out in the elements, the artist juxtaposes their soft flesh against the hard contours of cliffs and rocky surfaces. Real, raw and unfiltered, the works are a celebration of what it means to be human. Chapin shows that there is beauty in every crease, every wrinkle and every edge. Hence the title for her upcoming show, What Happens at the Edge, on view this fall at Flowers Gallery’s New York location.
“Since winning the U.K.’s esteemed National Portrait Gallery BP Portrait Award in 2012, Aleah Chapin’s nude portraits have continued to provoke and inspire audiences with their portrayal of joyful resistance, energy and strength,” says gallery owner Matthew Flowers. “Her new work in What Happens at the Edge broadens the debate around the visibility of aging or so-called imperfect bodies in images of everyday life.”
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