FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (download in Word)

ALLISON HUNTER: Simply Stunning
October 19 - November 22,2006

511 Gallery is pleased to present the work of emerging Texas artist Allison Hunter in her second solo exhibition with the gallery. These new works are a ten-part photographic series of 30 by 50-inch Lightjet prints, entitled Simply Stunning.

Hunter's recent work contains images of caged animals set within a minimalist and expansive backdrop. These works reveal an evolution from the artist's earlier Zoo Animals series, in which Hunter combined both digital and film photography to create staged environments for her original images of banal zoo animals. Simply Stunning extends this dichotomy between the seemingly benign and inconspicuous zoo environment as created by humans and the actual reality of the captive animal as theatrical entertainment.

Hunter positions images of docile giraffes, goats and deer amidst artificial backgrounds incorporating saturated hues of muted pinks and inky blacks. By eliminating each animal's original context and digitally reinventing the landscape, the artist creates a psychological impact between viewer and subject. The simplified backdrops reference earthly settings, yet the synthetic nature of the images are made obvious by the unnatural surroundings. These highly-staged tableaus reflect the theatrical nature of the captive zoo environment.

Allison Hunter received her MFA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Diplôme from the Ecole Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne in Switzerland and was schooled at SUNY, Albany. Her work has been presented in solo exhibitions at RPI, the University of Massachusetts, The Open-Air Art Museum at Pedvale, Latvia, and in a number of group exhibitions including the Houston Center for Photography, Islip Art Museum, Europas Parkas Museum in Latvia, The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins and the University Art Museum at SUNY, Albany. The artist lives and works in Houston, Texas.

511 Gallery is located in the Chelsea area of New York City - 529 West 20th Street, Suite 8 West - and exhibits the work of selected contemporary artists, both established and emerging, from the Americas and Europe. Included on the list of those they represent are: Keith Morrison, Ed Fraga, Jocelyne Alloucherie, Vaughan Judge, Elene Tremblay, Bryan LeBoeuf, Maro Michalakakos, Romaine Orthwein, and Matt Ernst.

For further inquiries contact Stephanie Lane, gallery manager, at 212-255-2885.

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