Natalie Reis’ Compendium, is her third solo exhibition at Galerie Trois Points, on view from February 22 to March 29. Paintings anchor the exhibition alongside sculptural and installation counterparts. Not to be mistaken as a departure from the artist’s previous work, but rather understood as a critical diversification within the artist’s practice.

Formally, the work is composed of a muted palette, devoid of colour and saturation. Feral foliage and floral groupings allow for a fractured cubist space, coupled with precarious middle grounds and moments of bad painting amidst viscosities of mucus and paint.

This particular body of work contextually appropriates the long venerated history of floral painting, while referencing the tradition of Vanitas and Tondo painting styles. Images of venomous bouquets reference the history of women and their relationship to still life painting, herbalism and the taboos of maternity and how these metanarratives are cultivated in our subconscious and polarized through a contemporary lens.

Intimacy in these works is channeled by political and social provocations. The figure is presented in a dismembered fashion, touching upon memory, biography, history and an incisive relationship to the present. The content of these works is intentionally critical, rather than positive – a characteristic that marks much of the postmodern movement of our time.

Natalie Reis is a Montreal based artist. She obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University. She has shown her work in numerous solo and collective exhibitions, namely at Galerie Trois Points, Usine C, the Montreal  Biennale, Plein Sud, Artery Gallery and Chelsea Gelleria in Miami. Her work is part of the Giverny Capital and Fasken Martineau collections as well as numerous other private collections.

Press release

Exhibition Press