Ceysson & Bénétière

 

Ceysson & Bénétière Lyon is pleased to present Fever Dream, a solo exhibition by American artist, Rachael Tarravechia. This is her first solo exhibition in Europe and will be on view from March 30th - April 29th, 2023. 

In this debut, Tarravechia presents a dynamic set of works that explore the theme of folie à deux. Folie à deux is the idea that two people are being driven to the cusp of insanity by factors outside of their control. As such, Tarravechia uses imagery from horror movies, video games, and anime to devise sinister narratives that at first glance seem innocently inviting. By intertwining the eerie with the innocuous, she creates a feeling of not being able to trust one’s eyes, enhancing the sense of delusion and madness. Her paintings capture the moments right before a severe act of violence is going to occur, leaving the viewer in perpetual dread and excitement. 

Hysteria sets just such a scene. The viewer sees a pair of disembodied gloves holding a knife that seem poised to go on a violent spree. The intricately patterned floor and the wielded knife invoke the artist’s favorite Italian horror film, Suspiria, where the protagonist is slowly driven insane at a prestigious ballet academy. Outside the room, is a brightly sunlit pool in stark contrast with the dark happenings inside. Horror is also present in Blanche, where a soft and cuddly looking cat hides chilling secrets. Inspired by the 1977 Japanese horror film, House, the cat embodies an evil spirit hinted at by its glowing eyes. The sense of mischief is present in the stylized green glint, often used in video games to convey the shininess of precious objects. 

Tarravechia also draws upon her memories of playing video games with her brothers to furnish her paintings. In Soul Seeker, we see a completely tiled bathroom, with a floating scythe in the foreground. The scythe is a composite of three magical anime elements from Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Blood-C. The butterflies flying around the scythe, as well as the glowing pinkness of the bathroom tiles try to offset the inherent danger of the weapon. It glows temptingly, inviting the viewer to touch it as if it were placed there just for that purpose. 

This technique is used again in Counterfeit Roses to bend the sense of reality. Tarravechia stumbled upon the carpeted basement bathroom in this work while browsing a house in Reno on Zillow. The painting depicts the strategic angle of her screenshot where the mirror on the back wall quadruples the size of the small, claustrophobic room. A blue rose floats in the middle of the tub, facing the same way in all the reflections, immediately disorienting the viewer and creating a sense of unease. 

To the untrained eye, Tarravechia’s paintings seem very pretty and palatable, enhanced by the eye-popping colors, poppy borders, and bedazzled elements. They teeter at the edge of reality and magical fantasy inviting the viewer to step in and become part of the hallucination. But as you start to look deeper, the frightening elements emerge slowly, and the fever dream takes hold. It is in this liminal space that these works exist and Rachael Tarravechia shines. 

Neha Jambhekar, January 2023

 

Artist : Rachael Tarravechia

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Visitor Information

Ceysson & Bénétière
21 rue Longue
69001 Lyon

Gallery hours:
Tuesday - Saturday
11am - 6pm
T: +33 4 27 02 55 20