On View: September 1st – September 18th 2022
Location: Voltz Clarke Gallery, 195 Chrystie Street, New York, NY 10002
Hours: Monday – Friday, 10 am – 6 pm, Saturday 11 – 5 pm, & by appointment
Contact Info: , 917.292.6921, Voltzclarke.com

 

 

This September, Gallery RED and Voltz Clarke are pleased to welcome Elena Gual for her first solo exhibition in the United States.

ELANA GUAL 
Born 1994 – Mallorca, Spain
Graduate – Florence Classical Arts Academy (2016) 

From a charcoal drawing to thick and expressive impasto brushstrokes of homemade oil paint applied to the canvas with a palette knife, Gual’s oeuvre spans from portraiture and landscapes to abstract works. Her first solo exhibition in the US highlights the unique and natural beauty of the female body.

28-year-old Elena Gual’s Mediterranean homeland connects her to family memories while providing continuous inspiration for the perfect light and colors in her paintings. At a young age, Gual traveled the world and met many women who she conveys in her works and who profoundly inspire her. Driven to highlight the unique and natural beauty of the female body and culture, Gual creates vivid portraits of diverse women and strongly believes all bodies are beautiful, despite size, color or age.

Gual was born in Mallorca and trained as a classical painter at the Florence Academy of Art, followed by the prestigious Central Saint Martin’s and Royal Academy in London. The female figurative artist currently splits her time between Madrid and London, while frequently returning to Mallorca where she keeps an additional studio. 

Elena Gual’s academic studies allowed her to be extremely versatile and experimental with various mediums, such as charcoal drawing and oil painting, although she most frequently employs palette knives, which has become her signature technique. Gual first started using this tool due to a strong allergic reaction to turpentine, a necessary product used to clean paint brushes.  

Drew Aaron, Gallery RED’s founder, followed Elena Gual’s career for two years before representing her exclusively in 2021, during the time of her first sold-out exhibition in London.

Since Voltz Clarke shares the same passion for international, emerging artists as Gallery RED, joining forces with Aaron to introduce Gual to the US market is a fluid partnership. 

 

About Elena GUAL 

Represented worldwide by Gallery RED, Elena Gual (born 1994, Mallorca, Spain) is currently based between Mallorca, Madrid and London.

A social media sensation, Gual boasts over 270k followers on Instagram (@elenagual.art) and has traveled the world, meeting many women who have inspired her work. Working initially from both memory and original photographs, Gual begins with a charcoal drawing before she starts to apply thick, impasto strokes of homemade oil paint onto the canvas with a spatula or palette knife. Her work ranges in subject matter from landscape and abstract paintings to depictions of the female form and vivid portraits of women. Gual graduated from the Florence Academy of Art in 2016 and has spent time at Central Saint Martins and the Royal Academy in London. Her work is held in prominent private collections around the world.

www.elenagual.art@elenagual.art

About Gallery RED

Gallery RED is a contemporary art gallery based in the heart of Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Founded by entrepreneur Drew Aaron, a global collector of contemporary art, Gallery RED has quickly grown to encompass twelve unique spaces across Spain, presenting art, fashion and iconic design while offering art advisory and investment services. In addition to showcasing established artists, from Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Gerhard Richter and Keith Haring, Gallery RED has developed a reputation for building the careers of top emerging Spanish artists, including Antonio Ballester Moreno, Elena Gual, Ruben Martín de Lucas, Lidia Masllorens, Ivan Montana and more.

www.galleryred.com@galleryred_

This exhibition is aligned with NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association). NEDA is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care. Through their programs and services, NEDA raises awareness, builds communities of support and recovery, funds research, and puts vital resources into the hands of those in need.