Art Prostitute Presents…
Thieves Like Us: An exhibition of new work by Vanessa Michel and April Pierce

November 4 – December 4, 2006 // Artist reception: Sat. November 4 (7-10PM)
Shiny Around the Edges will perform live in the gallery at 8pm
DJ Select of The Party will be on the turntables throughout

Art Prostitute Gallery
2919-C Commerce St. // Dallas, TX 75226
www.artprostitute.com // 214.760.7170

Vanessa Michel Bio
Exhibiting two bodies of work, Vanessa Michel’s paintings depict a single character posited in an oppressive space emptied of dimension – addressing our experience of the physical world. The large contour drawings are made with cochineal, a crimson pigment derived of a cactus beetle native to Central America. The bright red pigment, first cultivated by the Aztec and Mayan empire, was put into large scale production by the colonial Spanish Empire in the seventeenth century. Now only harvested by indigenous people in Mexico, cochineal becomes the modus operandi in which the historical reoccurrence of labor exploitation is linked to the present backlash toward immigration labor in the United States. The drawings are based on photographs taken by the artist while participating in Immigration Reform demonstrations in New York City.

Vanessa Michel is an artist and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She is from El Paso, Texas and received a Bachelors of Fine Art cum laude from The University of North Texas. She will be participating in Painting: The Semi-Sublime curated by Diana Block at The UNT Artspace FW this spring, 2007.

April Pierce Bio
April Pierce’s paintings and drawings are vignettes seized from the everyday. Snapshots of the near and dear, magazine images, and video stills often provide the basis for her work. Since the completion of her BFA, from the University of North Texas, Pierce has spent her time developing a unique style of mark making easily described by a level of detail that borders on obsessive. Written words, buried within the drawings, reveal the vulnerability of her subjects as her pencil explores and defines every facet of their expression. Her illustration work has appeared in the pages of Art Prostitute, where she be a featurette in their upcoming issue. She has exhibited with the gallery in several group shows. Thieves Like Us, will be her first exhibition of note with Art Prostitute.

About the gallery
Art Prostitute Gallery was founded in June of 2004 in Denton, TX. The gallery’s reputation grew quickly as it brought in internationally acclaimed artists such as Rich Jacobs, Richard Colman, Evan Hecox, Cody Hudson, Mike Giant, Dalek, Todd St. John, Kozyndan, Jeremy Fish, Tiffany Bozic and many others. In most cases it was the first time they had exhibited in Texas. In June of 2006 the gallery relocated to the Deep Ellum area of Dallas. The doors were opened with a Dave Kinsey solo exhibition, the artist’s first show stateside in 3 years. The gallery’s main focus is to proliferate the work of artists who one would find within the pages of their publication. Well executed and culturally relevant exhibitions are the mainstay of the gallery’s program, showcasing artists who are emerging as well as established.

SUPPORT
www.vanessamichel.com
centralbooking.blogspot.com
www.shinyaroundtheedges.com