Sick Rose
New Work by Leslie Lanxinger 
January 12th - January 29th, 2018
Opening Reception: Friday, January 12th, 7-10pm
Also on view Sundays 1-5pm and by appointment

Wayfarers is pleased to present Sick Rose, a collection of high-contrast charcoal drawings by Los Angeles-based artist, Leslie Lanxinger. Touching on both personal and shared experiences, Sick Rose acts as a catalyst for the viewer to explore the many nuances and shades of what it means to live as a woman in modern times.

In the current news landscape we have witnessed many courageous women speaking out against the oppression that has so commonly plagued women for generations - inequalities, imbalances, and injustices that have existed in the workplace, on the street, in the domestic sphere, and everywhere in between. Transmuting vulnerabilities into strength and publicly speaking out against this unjust behavior, women are finally taking the platform to reclaim their self, time, and space.  This solo exhibition is one woman's search for empowerment and the realization that the most vital foundation of power first starts with yourself. 
 

"Sick Rose is a series of new drawings describing the extremely personal account of my thoughts and experiences as a woman searching for empowerment. I have taken the title from the poem by William Blake.
 

O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
 

Sick Rose is not a metaphor for toxic masculinity and unhealthy relationships. In these drawings I speak to the subtle assumptions within our culture - how women are perceived not just by society, but how we perceive ourselves - and the effect this has had in shaping generations. I am scrupulously and honestly taking stock of my own experiences, my awareness, and my actions. I am examining a lifetime of thought and choices that I have made, confronting my own invisible worm.

Using these thoughts as a jumping off point, I have created a metaphorical timeline of the feelings and experiences that have pointed the way to my own lucidity. I choose fantasy, mythology, metaphor, and surrealism as a means to convey these emotions and to put them into a narrative with a beginning, middle, and ending, which will hopefully be happy." - Leslie Lanxinger