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Renee Stout at Hemphill - this should not be missed

October 6, 2010

Devotees of the DC visual art scene already know Renee Stout’s work. For those of you who don’t, it’s about time, buster. Her show at Hemphill, “The House of Chance and Mischief”, is rich and moving stuff. It struck a deep chord in me and seems to have that effect nearly universally.

Woman Possessed

Renee speaking at the Millenium Art group's brunch

For years, Renee’s paintings,prints and assemblages have channeled her alter ego, Fatimah Mayfield, a spiritual healer, herbalist and fortune-teller. I have always seen Fatimah as a strong and resolute character who summons the spirits with confidence in her powers – the fulfillment of Renee’s wish (perhaps we all wish for the same) to exert a measure of control over ourselves and our world. In this show, the veil of Fatimah is lifted, revealing the person of Renee. It’s not that she has disavowed Fatimah or left her behind; on the contrary, she has absorbed strength from Fatimah and is in the process of merging with her

Black Room

The show makes perfect use of the layout of Hemphill’s gallery to establish the exhibit as a journey. The space is divided into three rooms and as the viewer moves through them, the revelations become more personal, reaching a palpable level of intimacy in the third room symbolized by the bed in the center of the room and embodied in the very personal photographs.

Millenium brunch @ Hemphill's

Renee’s work is always rich in content and narrative but the meaning never comes at the expense of visual immediacy and draftsmanship, which are very tricky shoals to navigate. In this show, I was particularly drawn to a piece made up of nine graphite drawings on old, stained ledger paper. Called “I Peeped Your Demons”, it is based on the artist’s relationship with a friend who recently died. As she tried to understand and portray the demons that tortured him, she found that some of the same demons moved through her own life. The figures are frightening, sinister, in some cases violent, always intense. You can literally not peel your eyes away.

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