End of Bees
Elena Horowitz-Brookes’ most recent series, End of Bees, is a lyrical depiction of altered reality concerned with depth and space. The painting that started it all, Garden of Disquieting Dreams, is the first glimpse into the “other-world” she has created. Defying her own post-apocalyptic world with whimsy, the alluring colors and flower-like shapes are juxtaposed with a sense of anxiety, urgency even. She is influenced by graffiti; its social connectedness and immediacy, as though the message couldn’t possibly wait another moment to be expressed. Striped teardrop shapes echo powerless bees—frustrated without their stinging power, they spit and ooze into the primordial garden. Removed stingers gather together and form spheres of malice or creation in Pollens End No.1. Brookes’ often complimentary color scheme is tweaked, creating an acidic charge unexpected in the abstracted fields, while hints of feminism dance in egg shapes around her acrylic works on canvas.
Brookes’ work is a tantalizing look into a world made of earthly elements but still not our own. She explores the richness of those elements and creations just beyond our grasp; not in an attempt to define or categorize, but simply to ponder and admire. In this manner, Brookes’ paintings and works on paper do not force their viewer to believe any which way. Open for interpretation, they are open arms to exploration and expression.
Elena Horowitz-Brookes’ most recent series, End of Bees, is a lyrical depiction of altered reality concerned with depth and space. The painting that started it all, Garden of Disquieting Dreams, is the first glimpse into the “other-world” she has created. Defying her own post-apocalyptic world with whimsy, the alluring colors and flower-like shapes are juxtaposed with a sense of anxiety, urgency even. She is influenced by graffiti; its social connectedness and immediacy, as though the message couldn’t possibly wait another moment to be expressed. Striped teardrop shapes echo powerless bees—frustrated without their stinging power, they spit and ooze into the primordial garden. Removed stingers gather together and form spheres of malice or creation in Pollens End No.1. Brookes’ often complimentary color scheme is tweaked, creating an acidic charge unexpected in the abstracted fields, while hints of feminism dance in egg shapes around her acrylic works on canvas.
Brookes’ work is a tantalizing look into a world made of earthly elements but still not our own. She explores the richness of those elements and creations just beyond our grasp; not in an attempt to define or categorize, but simply to ponder and admire. In this manner, Brookes’ paintings and works on paper do not force their viewer to believe any which way. Open for interpretation, they are open arms to exploration and expression.
