Adjustment, 2024
Rachel Sharpe, born in Seattle, United States. She lives and works in Los Angeles.
Sharpe’s use of chiaroscuro is reminiscent of the work of Caravaggio and Goya, but finds influence in the literature she reads, especially in her personal experiences.
Balancing on the border between beauty and death, Rachel Sharpe's art develops like a sensual memento mori, turned towards flesh, whether human or animal. The subjects are always fragile, ready to wither, but nevertheless magnified and brought to light. A touch of Sharpe's beloved Baroque can be felt as much as a preoccupation with simplicity and humility in the act of painting a still life, albeit a romantic one.
Rachel Sharpe also adopts a hyper-realistic compositional approach, concerned with the feeling that emanates from her works. Instead of confronting us with the violence we traditionally associate with these subjects, Sharpe invites us to a quiet, calm contemplation: hushed...
Her work was the focus of the solo exhibition ‘Epidermal Dress’ at de boer gallery (Los Angeles, 2023). She has also participated in group shows such as ‘Hat Trick’ at Rusha & Co., (Los Angeles, 2023). Rachel Sharpe’s work is part of important European private collections.