On the occasion of the opening of her exhibition in Foam 3h, the American Irish artist Eva O'Leary will talk about her work Happy Valley. The exhibition draws its title from the artist’s hometown, Happy Valley, also known as State College in Pennsylvania (US). During this intimate talk, the artist will reflect on her experiences growing up, how these experiences led her to critique the illusion of perfection - and consider what it might be hiding.
For the Artist Talk and Q&A, the artist will be accompanied by Foam curator Hinde Haest, and together they will reflect on the power of photography, and how it enables O’Leary to uncover as well as hide things within her work. Afterwards, there will be time to view the exhibition, have a drink and meet the artist
Redhead (Ami), 2014 © Eva O’Leary
The curious thing about Happy Valley is that its residents appear to never age. Their faces resemble porcelain masks, suspended in eternal youthfulness. The images emanate a sense of stillness that is at once seductive and terrifying.
O’Leary's captivating visual language refers to the aesthetics of social media feeds and commercial advertisements. However, her use of a large-format camera imbues the images with an unforgiving level of detail, reveal subtle flaws and nigh-imperceptible cracks in the façade.
During the Unseen Photo Fair 2018 Eva O’Leary was selected for the Outset | Unseen Exhibition Fund by an international curatorial committee. Her exhibition at Foam is the result.
> Read more about this exhibition
This exhibition is made possible with support of the Gieskes-Strijbis Fund, the Van Bijlevelt Foundation, Kleurgamma Fine-Art Photolab and Outset Netherlands.
Foam is supported by the BankGiro Loterij, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Foam Members, City of Amsterdam, Olympus and the VandenEnde Foundation.