Gail Stoicheff
Bad Actor, 2019

Stoicheff’s new paintings are unapologetically formal and feminist. Continuing her use of motifs from Greek mythology, the work gestures toward ingrained gender constructs and traits collectively associated with the feminine throughout history, using ancient lore to explore essential and contemporary concerns.

“Bad Actor” alludes to the legal and political term assigned to a wrong-doer or troublemaker. The paintings each reference a female mythological figure that is blamed for or associated with bad deeds—-Alecto is the cause of anger, Magaera is the punisher of infidelity…

For her first solo show on the west coast, Stoicheff was formally influenced by the Mayan Revival style of LA’s enigmatic Ennis and Sowden Houses, with repeated lines and forms throughout.

Working in a broad material practice ranging from the traditional to the novel, the works are deeply mysterious, pointing to the future while drawing inspiration from the past.