Th e exhibition features a new work entitled Falling Woman\, a large scale\, l ooped video depicting a woman trapped in a never-ending fall.
The fal l specifically references art historical events and works\, such as Yves Kl ein's photomontage farce Leap into the Void and the loss of contro l in the humble gestures of Bas Jan Ader's falling pieces. D'Onofrio addres ses the influence feminist discourse has had on her own practice and positi oning\, and particularly references second wave feminist artist Ana Mendiet a\, known for her site-specific installations and performances. Mendieta at tempted to retrieve the nude body from the masculine eye\; in her signature "Sileuta" series she imposed her body onto the environment with impression s of her contours\, a series that foreshadowed her untimely and suspicious death. In Falling Woman the body continues to be a battleground of desire and exploitation.
The fall in Falling Woman represen ts the D'Onofrio's interest in contrived depictions of unconsciousness. The piece plays with the dream of falling interpreted as a loss of control or the feeling of fear and humiliation that comes in dreams of being naked. Th e wind from the fall forces the protagonist's dress over her head\, which s imultaneously conceals her identity and exposes her body\, acting as a natu ral yet exploitative flirtation with the camera. Autonomy and control clash \, for the subject has not jumped nor has she been pushed and she will neve r land\; instead she is in the midst of a continuous falL The meeting of th ese moments manifest themselves in an endless sublime sky where we witness the woman frustrated in her attempt to connect with it\, in a piece that as ks: can feminists fly?
Christine D'Onofrio would like to express her gratitude to the Canada Council for the Arts for their generous support in the research and execution of this project. Falling Woman is Christine' s second solo show with Republic Gallery\, and will be showing from Septemb er 13th through October 18th with an artist reception on Saturday\, Septemb er 13th\, 2 - 5 pm. Gallery hours are 11 am - 4 pm\, Wednesday through Satu rday or by appointment. For more information\, please contact Pantea Haghig hi by phone at 604.632.1590 or via email atpantea@republicgallery.com.
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