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Stella Vine
17 JULY to 23 SEPTEMBER 2007
Modern Art Oxford is presenting the
first major UK exhibition of work by artist
Stella Vine. The exhibition will
feature her most controversial works including
the paintings of Princess Diana, 'Hi Paul,
can you come over...' and a portrait of
heroin victim Rachel Whitear which were
bought by Charles Saatchi in 2004, propelling
Vine into the media spotlight. However,
there is more to Vine than the sensational
headlines and through the inclusion of over
100 paintings from the beginning of her
career to the present day, a more rounded
picture of her work will undoubtedly emerge.
Press preview: Monday 16 July, 11am to 1pm.
Stella Vine will be available for interviews
at this time.
Memory, nostalgia and fairytales are frequent
themes in Vine's work. An early painting
features Snow White in her glass coffin
surrounded by menacing men in top hats,
while another, 'Welcome to Norwich...',
shows Vine with her son and the family cat
against a vividly perfect blue sky. Her
mother, Ellenor, is a frequent subject,
painted from family snapshots, often including
Vine as a young child. Like the glamorous
celebrities she is also drawn to paint,
this technicolour version of the past is
a form of escape for Vine, whose childhood
was often troubled.
In simple, bold brushstrokes, Vine captures
the essence of familiar celebrity faces.
Whether it's the young Elizabeth Taylor,
a wide-eyed Pete Doherty, or reality TV
lovebirds Chantelle & Preston, Vine's
loose, gestural style in vivid sweet shop
colours gives us a fresh take on glamour
and celebrity. Dripping paint from eyes
and mouths on portraits of Kate Moss, Sylvia
Plath, Princess Diana and others, disturbs
the glossy paint surfaces, creating a sense
of unease in the viewer and hinting at the
inner turmoil of the subject.
Andrew Nairne, Director, Modern Art Oxford
said: "Stella's work is fresh, bold
and original and deserves to reach a wider
audience. Modern Art Oxford has a long tradition
of recognising and supporting new talent.
We are delighted to be working with Stella
on her first major exhibition."
ENDS
Further Information
www.kallaway.co.uk/modernartoxford.htm
Anna Cusden
Kallaway
020 7221 7883
anna.cusden@kallaway.co.uk
Sara Dewsbery
Modern Art Oxford
Press Officer 01865 813813
sara.dewsbery@modernartoxford.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
Stella Vine - Biography
www.stellavine.com
Stella Vine was born Melissa Robson
in 1969 in Alnwick, Northumberland. Following
a difficult relationship with her stepfather,
she was briefly fostered at the age of 13,
before leaving school at 14 and becoming
pregnant with her son at the age of 16.
In 1983 she joined the National Youth Theatre
of Great Britain and went on to work as
an actress in theatres across the UK, as
well as running her own improvised theatre
company Minx Productions.
In 1999 Vine studied painting part time
at Hampstead School of Art. She opened the
Rosy Wilde gallery in 2003 in a former butchers
shop in the East End to show emerging artists.
Around this time, Vine's mother died suddenly
which fuelled a highly creative period during
which she made the first of her paintings
of Princess Diana and teenage girls like
Rachel Whitear who suffered tragic deaths.
Many of these paintings were destroyed by
Vine soon after they were made.
In 2004 Charles Saatchi purchased one of
her paintings of Princess Diana 'Hi Paul,
can you come over..' from an exhibition
called Girl on Girl at Transition
Gallery. In 2006 she reopened the Rosy Wilde
Gallery, this time in Soho.
Since then her work has been included in
many exhibitions both in the UK and abroad.
Solo exhibitions include: Petal,
Alon Segev Gallery (TelAviv) 2004; Petal
part two, Roberts & Tilton (Los
Angeles) 2005; Stellawood, Hamiltons
Gallery (London) 2005; Prozac and Private
Views, Transition Gallery, (London)
2004; Whatever happened to Melissa Jane?,
The Bailliffgate Museum, (Alnwick) 2006.
Group exhibitions include New Blood
(Saatchi Gallery) London 2004; Girl on
Girl (Transition) London 2003/4;
The Beautiful And The Damned (Hiscox)
London 2005; Chockerfuckingblocked
(Jeffrey Charles Gallery) London 2003, as
well as shows in Bejing, Shanghi, New York,
Miami, Detroit. In 2005 Stella was invited
to exhibit at the Prague Biennale.
On 5 May Stella Vine with be taking part
in Gender & Culture, a panel
discussion chaired by Germaine Greer at
the Women's Arts International Festival
in Kendal, Cumbria (www.womensartsinternational.co.uk).
Modern Art Oxford
Modern Art Oxford is a leading UK gallery
for modern and contemporary art with a national
and international reputation. Working with
artists from around the world, Modern Art
Oxford's pioneering programme enables audiences
and communities to participate in and engage
with contemporary art. Since its foundation
in 1965, the Gallery has exhibited the work
of pioneering artists such as Carl Andre,
Jannis Kounellis and Yoko Ono as well as
British artists such as Tracey Emin, the
Chapman brothers and Mike Nelson.
Modern Art Oxford's programme for 2007 includes
a new film by South African artist Moshekwa
Langa, while the autumn sees the galleries
transformed with a new atmospheric installation
by American artist Trisha Donnelly alongside
exquisitely rendered paintings by Imran
Qureshi from Pakistan.
Modern Art Oxford, 30 Pembroke Street, Oxford
OX1 1BP, Tel. 01865 722733. Open Tuesday
to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 12pm to
5pm. Admission Free.
www.modernartoxford.org.uk
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