Continuing through April 1, 2017
Red lipstick has been a recurring material in Rachel Lachowicz's oeuvre. In her current installation "Lay Back and Enjoy It" it is again a dominant material. Large surfaces are covered with the molten red substance, specifically wooden facsimiles of the church and sheriff's station depicted in Clint Eastwood's 1973 film "High Plains Drifter." Lachowicz takes the notion of painting the town red literally, creating buildings that have been, in essence, feminized.
The three structures carefully positioned in the gallery space are a toxic red. Two are covered with waxen lipstick. The third, "House Under Construction," is covered with powder coated aluminum that produces a shinier red that signifies the purity of the not yet built while simultaneously referencing minimalist sculpture. The textural contrasts of the facades also points to the difference between minimalism and high modernism. The accompanying photographs document the making of the lipstick structure, confirming the laborious process of their creation. The wall-based works derived from the architectural plans of the "House Under Construction" are less compelling conceptually, but do convey elegance and grace.
