Natura Morta
Paulette Tavormina
Robert Mann Gallery
January 17 – March 9, 2013

Paulette Tavormina: Peaches and Morning Glories, After G.G., 2012.
32 x 48 archival pigment print from the exhibition Natura Morta

From the Robert Mann Gallery press release:

Robert Mann Gallery is pleased to present Natura Morta, Paulette Tavormina’s first solo exhibition with the gallery. Natura Morta will bring together a selection of exquisite still life photographs that recall the traditions of 17th century Old Master painting. Luscious fruit and flowers among other things are rendered in a painterly perspective reminiscent of Francisco de Zurbaran, Adriaen Coorte and Giovanna Garzoni, whom Tavormina counts among her greatest influences.

Paulette Tavormina: Lemons and Pomegranates, After J.v.H., 2012. 32 x 48 archival pigment print from the exhibition Natura Morta

An avid collector of butterflies and insects, shells, dried flowers, and ceramics, the sourcing of props is a crucial part of her process. Each object is closely tied to the place it was discovered – fresh produce from a New York City farmer’s market, horseshoe crabs tossed ashore in Nantucket, ladybugs found at a taxidermy shop in Paris. Not only do these objects look to the art historical roots of the genre of the still life, but their meaning is often multi-layered, a fig perhaps referring to the artist’s own Sicilian heritage.

Paulette Tavormina: Flowers and Fish IV, After G.V.S., 2012. 24″ x 24″ archival pigment print from the exhibition Natura Morta

Largely self-taught, Tavormina has been exhibited internationally and was the winner of the Grand Prix at the 2010 International Culinaire Photography Festival in Paris. She has worked on set as a food stylist in Hollywood and also photographs works of art for Sotheby’s. Her work has been featured in several publications including the New York Times, Boston Globe, L’Express, Martha Stewart magazine and Photo Technique magazine. She lives and works in New York City.

LTI-Lightside has been working with Tavomina since 2009. Her work has been exhibited in New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Moscow among other venues. For more of Paulette’s work, please visit her website here. For more on the exhibition at Robert Mann Gallery, click here.

Tags: Archival Pigment Printing (Inkjet), Exhibitions, Mounting, Paulette Tavormina, Robert Mann Gallery