Poet Ovid pronounces in book one of his mythological epic, “Metemorpheses” - “I intend to speak of forms changed into new entities.” Here, artist Katherine Rohrbacher provides a modern meditation on transformation, posing the question of what it means to change -- whether artificially or naturally. In an era where physical perfection is held paramount, the lengths to which individuals may go to edit both bodily imperfections and age, is a 21st century crusade. Rohrbacher’s large format paintings offer a confrontational view of surface beauty. Charcoal and oil self-portraits offer a glimpse of the psychological impact of surgery in a series titled “Nose Job,” as Rohrbacher presents her own likeness as the face of change. Motifs of decaying roses and ceramic butterflies encircle other works, addressing metamorphosis directly, while illustrating the fragile, brief circle of life. A gallery installation featuring live flowers in jars that trace the actual dimensions of a casket will accompany Rohrbacher’s paintings and ceramic works for the duration of the exhibition, mirroring the same delicate stages of life and death that she confronts in her work.
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