Exhibition Review: Peggy Preheim
Peggy PREHEIM. Still Life, 2016. (Detail) Pencil and collage on paper. 16 1/8 x 12 1/4 inches; 41 x 31 cm
Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles
Written by: Alyssa Monte
Fusing drawings, sculptures, photographs and videos together, Peggy Preheim explores the cyclical nature of human experience. Presented by the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery as an online exhibition, Preheim debuts two films in addition to her notably intricate works on paper. Drawing from her own life along with historical and found sources, Preheim creates intimate narratives that evoke mystery and demand attention.
Spheres, one of Preheim’s featured films, harmonizes process with inspiration. The film documents Preheim’s environmental influences through shaky and distorted perspectives — thus providing an insight to her practice of looking. Spheres additionally analyzes the garment featured in her works on paper, which were designed based on geometry in relation to the human form. Through these mediums, Preheim’s work addresses juxtapositions relating to the human body, mind and the exterior world in which we inevitably exist in.
The second film, Still Life, is composed of 632 still life photos that Preheim took between 2012 and 2021. This film, similar to Spheres, draws viewers into nature and serves as a guide to the narrative Preheim constructs. This compressed drama soars on a scattered adventure through the psyche and a journey through time. Though the passage of time is more apparent in Still Life, both films play a distinct sound throughout the duration of the piece that mimics a ticking clock.
Preheim investigates themes relating to the transience of life — rendering and recombining images in a way that deliberately considers the conscious and the subconscious. Using a multimedia approach, she is able to create an unparalleled variety of pieces that weave together to convey a powerful narrative.
This online exhibition will be on view through June 26, 2021. You can view it here.
