“And And And And” is a painting and light exhibition by Detroit-based artist Zoe Beaudry of photorealistic figurative paintings containing sculptural elements which emit colored light, inspired by the metaphysical and digital aspects of the contemporary human experience.
The use and repetition of the word “and” are symbolic in the exhibition title. For Zoe, “And” is a metaphor for the connective forces that we rely on but don’t often notice, like gravity, the Internet, divine forces, or universal human experiences. What if we brought the connection itself into focus, rather than the things being connected?
Rejecting the male-dominated history of the classical nude and passive subject, the figures in my paintings are agents of their own self-actualization. I see this as an important shift for figurative art and traditional oil painting and view the act of breaking the surface of the canvas as a part of this rejection as well,” explains Beaudry.
The use of light portals found in the series of paintings in And And And And are part speculative fiction, and part reflection of reality. They may call to mind body chakras, touch screens, or even cyborgs. By breaking the canvas and placing them within various parts of the body, it interrupts our sense of separateness from our environment. When we notice our own permeability, we are able to see the “And,” and its connective force of shared consciousness.
“And” is magical because it can unite any two things just by sitting between them. We rarely focus on or even notice the word itself – yet its omnipresence holds everything together. Narratives wouldn’t make any sense without it. Music needs the “and” pulling the one and two and three and four together.
The world can appear to be an “or” place full of enforced binaries and rigid definitions of what it means to be good or bad, however the messiness of being human makes such binaries impossible. We are living in a moment of incredible grief, danger, and potential- the ability to see ourselves reflected in others is essential for authentic interdependence.”
– Zoe Beaudry
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Zoe Beaudry (b. 1991) is a figurative painter living and working in Detroit, Michigan. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Art at Kalamazoo College in 2014 and obtained her Master of Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art in 2018. Her work has been included in exhibitions throughout the Midwest and internationally in the UK, Israel, and Australia, at venues including The Zhou B Art Center (Chicago), Chicago City Hall, Mall Galleries (London), and The Glue Factory (Glasgow). She has traveled extensively and held workshops for youth in Tulkarem, Palestine, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has been featured on Sky Portrait Artist of the Year reality show, filmed in London. Most recently, Zoe has undertaken residencies at Kriti Gallery in Varanasi, India and The Forge in Detroit. In 2022, Beaudry was selected as an Emerging Artist Fellow by PLAYGROUND DETROIT, and presented a solo exhibition in Chicago at ARC Gallery.
