In her review of "Mirror, Mirror" - a group show at Nathalie Karg Gallery - on view in New York City through August 27th, Jillian Steinhauer notes:
"Spend enough time on social media these days and photographic self-portraiture can start to seem banal. The group show “Mirror, Mirror” is a rebuttal and reminder that this remains a fruitful, fascinating art form.
"Ilona Szwarc takes a similar approach, with images that depict her look-alike turning into a werewolf-type creature. The woman appears in colorful, lavish settings, and it’s unclear if she’s initiating the transformation or if it’s happening to her. In “She was unsexed as a doll” (2019), the woman’s expression issues a kind of challenge: Is this a nightmare or a fairy tale?...What makes these works so striking is that they withhold as well as reveal. They deny the legibility often associated with photography (and selfies), instead offering deftly staged riddles."
"Ilona Szwarc takes a similar approach, with images that depict her look-alike turning into a werewolf-type creature. The woman appears in colorful, lavish settings, and it’s unclear if she’s initiating the transformation or if it’s happening to her. In “She was unsexed as a doll” (2019), the woman’s expression issues a kind of challenge: Is this a nightmare or a fairy tale?...What makes these works so striking is that they withhold as well as reveal. They deny the legibility often associated with photography (and selfies), instead offering deftly staged riddles."
August 19, 2021
