Tell Yourselves Why You Were There
Tell Yourselves Why You Were There, is an exhibition of the work of Mila Rochenner and Ryan M Schroeder. The show revolves around relationships, notions of the irrelevant, and the forgotten. Backward looking visions inform much of the works in the form of memory. The title is a play off of a quote from Louis Scutenaire, about the so-called, Période Vache, 1947-48, paintings by Rene Magritte. "We have eyes to see. This time, once in a thousand, we’re not asking ourselves a question. We're asking you. Tell yourselves why you were beaten. We would indeed be honored and even surprised." The Vache paintings created by Magritte challenged the idea of so-called, "bad painting” and taste. The work was an attempt to run contrary to art world norms. The paintings and objects on display seek to reflect reality as a metaphor. A metaphor for having experienced a physical place or emotional state.
Curated by Ryan M. Schroeder.
Show produced by Dustin Stein.
About the artists:
Mila Rochenner (b. 1982 Contagem, Brazil) is a New York-based artist. Mila's situation as an immigrant has influenced the perspective of her work's psychologically and philosophically which reflects an interest in personal narrative and how it relates to the collective. The artist's works are the result of an investigation into social dynamics and her perceived role therein. Rochenner has exhibited and had work published in North and South America and Europe including curating and exhibiting at the Crafts and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, CA. She has received support from New York Academy of Art's Janet Rosel & Peter B. Lewis Scholarship, Valda Witt & Jay Hatfield Scholarship, the LCU Fund for Women’s Education Grant, the Leipzig Art International Program, and the Museum Insel Hombroich Residency, among other institutions.
Ryan M. Schroeder is an American artist from Rochester, NY. His paintings are relics that reflect reality. Through paint, he says “I am exploring space as a phenomenological experience in that the subject matter is assembled through firsthand exploration. I paint abandoned spaces that resonate with me.” Schroeder's primary focus is to find a means to visually transmit the dominant psychological feeling of a person or place. His intention is to have a conversation about decay, neglect, and what it's like to be forgotten. Ryan received his MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 2015, and BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, 2009. Ryan Schroeder has undertaken residencies and exhibited work in China, Europe, and across the United States. He was also invited to be a guest artist at Museum Insel Hombroich, a residency through Stiftung Insel Hombroich in Neuss, Germany (September-October, 2016). He was also awarded the STAR residency with the Guttenberg Arts Foundation, Guttenberg, NJ (January-April, 2017). In 2014, he was awarded a generous grant from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation. Schroeder currently lives and works in Brooklyn.
