Uncategorized – Emilie Louise Gossiaux

Significant Otherness [Mother Gallery, Manhattan]

Press Release: https://mothergallery.art/significant-otherness

Emilie Louise Gossiaux’s solo exhibition Significant Otherness consists of ceramic sculptures and pen-and-crayon drawings that consider interspecies bonds to transcend conventional hierarchies between humans and nonhuman species. Mirroring the exhibition title, the phrase “significant otherness” originates from feminist scholar and theorist Donna Haraway’s Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People and Significant Otherness in which the writer deftly explores relational encounters between humans and nonhuman species bonded in their significant otherness, or a complex recognition of difference. Haraway also riffs on the popular phrase “significant other” to claim kinship across species, particularly between humans and dogs, just as Gossiaux does within her own artistic practice. Centering her own interspecies relationships throughout the exhibition, Gossiaux describes her nine-year relationship with her golden Labrador retriever and guide dog, London, as one that is simultaneously practical, spousal, maternal and emotional. In a new artistic exploration, Gossiaux also finds solace in connecting with an unlikely species—the alligator.

Gossiaux presents new earthenware ceramic pieces as an homage to London’s life. She recreates objects of personal significance associated with London’s everyday work routine, playtime, and pleasure, such as rubber chew toys of various shapes, her collar and name tag, harness, and leash. Dog collars, harnesses, and leashes serve as bodily extensions that mutually and physically connect dog to human and human to dog. In contrast to the objects associated with the working aspects of London’s life as a guide dog, the artist also recreates a favorite bulbous chew toy, whose interior is often stuffed with thick globs of peanut butter as a treat to lick, in turn, giving the object a sensual dimension. In this collection of nostalgic memorabilia, Gossiaux honors seemingly quotidian objects that nurture and shape shared intimacies between dogs and humans.

Gossiaux also debuts three extraordinary ceramic human-animal hybrid figures, which each occupy distinct postures and physical characteristics. In her titles for Dreaming Doggirl, Doggirl, and Alligatorgirl, she creates compound words to further hybridize the language she uses to describe her figures. Native to the three million acres of wetlands in and around New Orleans, where Gossiaux is also from, the alligator becomes her alter ego, a feminist embodiment to express feelings of anger or frustration. In the sculpture Alligatorgirl, the creature’s jaws are wide open, revealing a human’s expressionless face surrounded by sharp jagged teeth, just before she devours the body whole. In Alligatorgirl Riot, Gossiaux draws yellow-eyed reptilian creatures with human limbs and alligator bodies swimming together, with the exception of one of them vigorously climbing out of the water and crawling into a human’s bed. With the known, persistent threat of climate change to the alligator’s wetland habitat as a result of the irresponsible ways we humans have treated our environment, Gossiaux’s Alligatorgirl works subtly allude to a future where the animals might turn even more aggressive, especially when feeling threatened.

In addition to her work exploring interspecies relationships, Gossiaux depicts other forms of mutual coexistence in her drawings, which she creates either from memory or through touch, as with her sculptures. In Moon and Sun, Gossiaux draws a crescent moon and sun, positioned side by side, both taking up equal space in the sky. We often think of the sky as dominated by either the sun or moon depending on the time of day; however, their coexistence is a common occurrence. This drawing serves as a compelling connection to Gossiaux’s other bodies of work that propose alternative ways we as humans can exist with and among other beings, together in our significant otherness.

—Alessandra Gómez, April 2022

A ceramic sculpture of a humanoid alligator with woman’s legs and arms. The body of the alligator is painted jade green, and her almond shaped eyes are painted bright yellow. The arms and legs are left unpainted, and are the off white color of the clay. Her ams and legs are bent underneath her body, like she is crouching low, and her mouth is wide open with long jagged fangs. Inside of the alligator’s mouth is a person’s face with a nonplussed expression. — “Alligatorgirl”, 2021, 3.75” x 6.75” x 16.5”, cold wax medium and oil paint on earthenware ceramic.

A landscape drawing of 3 sexy scary hybrid human alligators with woman legs and arms, long femme eyelashes, with dark shadowy green alligator bodies with yellow eyes and wide open mouths with sharp fangs. The setting is in my childhood bedroom in Louisiana, with blueish green water rising up around my bed. Two alligatorgirls are swimming and thrashing their long tails in the water below, while the third is climbing up onto the bed, that is kind of breaking under her weight. The mattress has pink blankets, which are trailing onto the floor. — “Alligatorgirl Riot”, 2022”, 23” x 35”, ballpoint pen and crayon on paper.

An installation view showing two Alligatorgirl drawings side-by-side and four ceramic sculptures of dog gear and toys - displayed on pedestals, the wall, and the floor. — “Significant Otherness” installation view, Mother Gallery, Manhattan.

A ceramic sculpture of a dog leash wrapped up in a loose coil. The ceramic is painted chocolate brown to look like soft leather, and the metal clasp and buttons are painted silver. — “Leash”, 2022, 1.75” x 12” x 13”, cold wax medium and oil paint on earthenware ceramic.

A ceramic sculpture of a guide dog harness, painted chocolate brown to look like soft leather. — “Harness”, 2022, 3.75” x 10.25” x 22.5”, cold wax medium and oil paint on earthenware ceramic.

Installation detail view showing sculptures of a dog Leash and Harness displayed on low-height pedestals, a Red Kong sculpture on the floor, and a Golden Dog Collar hung on the wall. — “Significant Otherness” installation view, Mother Gallery, Manhattan.

A ceramic sculpture of London’s peanut butter Kong painted red. It has the shape and mystique of a sex toy. — “Red Kong”, 2022, 6” x 3” x 3”, cold wax medium and oil paint on earthenware ceramic.

A ceramic sculpture of a dog collar hangs on the wall. The collar is wrapped with shiny gold string, and the dog tag is round, and painted silver with a black outline of a human eye with long eyelashes painted in the center. — “Golden Dog Collar”, 2022, 1.5” x 6” x 6”, earthenware ceramic, oil paint, gold string.

An installation view showing three small ballpoint pen drawings, three pedestals with small ceramic animal sculptures, and two dog toy sculptures on the floor. — “Significant Otherness” installation view, Mother Gallery, Manhattan.

An off white doll sized ceramic sculpture of a woman with a dog’s head, and dog nipples lying down on her back. Her eyes are carved out from the clay to look like closed eyes with long eyelashes. Her left hand is resting on her left thigh, and her right hand rests flat against her right leg. — “Dreaming Doggirl”, 2022, 2.75” x 4.5” x 12.75”, earthenware ceramic.

A simple black and white line drawing of London, a Labrador Retriever standing up on her hind legs, with human arms and hands. She holds onto a dog leash, which extends out beyond the top left corner of the drawing, she is looking up towards the leash with her eyes closed in a serene smile. Her other arm is out at her side. She looks like she is skipping, propeling her body towards the right side of the page, pulling the leash along with her. — “London with Ribbon”, 2022, 9” x 7”, ballpoint pen on paper.

A black and white line drawing of a crescent Moon on the left, and a round Sun on the right. — “Moon and Sun”, 2022, 9” x 7”, ballpoint pen on paper.

A black and white line drawing of an alligator standing up on her hind legs, with a human head inside of the alligator’s wide open mouth. She has a large tail that coils around her legs on the floor. — “Alter Ego”, 2022, 9” x 7”, ballpoint pen on paper.

An off white ceramic sculpture of a labrador dog on all fours, but her front legs are human arms and hands. — “Doggirl”, 2022, 6.75” x 4.75” x 10.5”, earthenware ceramic.

An installation view showing two London Midsummer drawings side-by-side and two ceramic sculptures of dog gear and toys - displayed on pedestals, the wall, and the floor. — “Significant Otherness” installation view, Mother Gallery, Manhattan.

A ceramic sculpture of one of London’s dog toys that resembles a dumbbell. It is painted purple. — “Purple Thing”, 2022, 4.25” x 4.25” x 12”, cold wax medium and oil paint on earthenware ceramic.

A landscape drawing of three golden Labrador Retrievers with human arms and hands dancing on their hind legs around a Maypole, which raises out from the ground in the center of the drawing. The Maypole is drawn to resemble my extendable white cane, with a cane tip, and a black looped handle. There are three pink dog leashes coming out from the top of the white cane maypole, which each dog holds onto as they circle around it. There are trees in the background, above the trees in the sky is a pale blue crescent moon at the top left, and an yellow orange sun in the top right. There are red flowers on the ground, and the colors of the trees feels like the birth of spring. — “London, Midsummer 1”, 2022, 23” x 35”, ballpoint pen and crayon on paper.

Dog Girl, They Called Me [MoMA PS1]

MoMA PS1 Greater New York Show, 2021-2022.

2 black ink pen line drawings on the wall hanging above a small ceramic sculpture. “London Stands Up on Her Hind Legs”, A drawing of my guide dog, London standing on her hind legs, as if she were walking upright effortlessly like a human. Her front paws and arms hover loosely at her sides, and slightly in front of her body. She is looking away from the viewer, towards the right edge of the page. "London, in My Dreams”, shows London with the body of a woman. She is nude, and is resting her right hand over her chest, and her left hand rests at her side. She stands up straight, her feet planted to the ground, her left foot is slightly shorter than her right foot.

A doll sized white ceramic sculpture of an anthropomorphic dog with a woman’s body. The sculpture is resting on her back (on a shelf?), her hands are closed into fists, and are resting on either side of her hips. She has the head of a dog, with a long snout, and triangular shaped ears hanging down the side of her head, but with human features, such as her almond shaped eyes and long eyelashes, which are carved into the clay in thin lines. There are two small holes that were poked into the clay to create pupils in the center of each eye. On her torso she has four small breasts with nipples, a round belly with a belly button, and thin lines carved into the clay to signify pubic hair. She has long, straight legs with little round bumps to indicate knees, and her toes point up into the air, the back of her heels resting on the shelf.

Hanging to the right of the 2 drawings is a simple line drawing, of two human animal hybrid figures. On the right side of the drawing, is a woman with a dog’s head, and on the left side is a dog’s body with a woman’s head. The two figures gaze affectionately at the other, as their bodies turn slightly inwards to face each other. The woman’s open hand reaches out to hold on to the dog figure’s paw.

Installation view of large white gallery space with a crumbling stone sculpture in the center of the room and Gossiaux's pieces hanging on an adjacent wall.

Dancing with London [MMK Frankfurt]

Crip Time, MMK Frankfurt, 2021.

A photograph of MMK Frankfurt’s lobby, taken from above. On the floor below, two grey dog figures standing on their hind legs face each other. Behind them, a Christine Sun Kim painting stretches horizontally across the upper half of the 2+ story wall.

Taken from the same vantage point as the previous photograph, this one is a closeup of the two dogs, showcasing the black details of their faces.

Now standing ground level in the lobby, the two dogs stand in the foreground of the shot while a Christine Sun Kim painting stretches horizontally across the wall behind them. From this angle, we can see that the two dogs are mirror images of each other.

A closeup of the two dogs taken from a similar point as the previous photograph. We can see the details of their faces and paws.

True Love Will Find You in the End [The Shed]

Two sculptures depicting hybrid human-animal figures stand side by side in a gallery space. They hold hands, with their heads slightly turned to gaze at one another. On the right, is a naked woman with a dog’s head; the figure on the left is an anthropomorphized dog with a long tail standing on its hind legs with the head of a woman.

Installation view with another artist's large rectangular sculptures in the foreground and Gossiaux's hybrid human-animal sculptures illuminated in the background.

Installation view from another angle with revealing the expansive gallery space with a variety of artists' work.

Memory of a Body [Mother Gallery, Beacon]

Emilie L. Gossiaux | Memory of A Body
December 12 – February 20, 2021
Curated by Emily Watlington

Six blind contour drawings are included in Memory of a Body, Gossiaux creates them using ballpoint pen on newsprint which leaves indentations. Then, she fills in her contours using waxy crayons. Relying on Crayola’s evocative color names like Almond and Piggy Pink, having become blind while she was a student at Cooper Union, Gossiaux either draws from memory or observes her subjects by touch. Sometimes, she renames the colors to remember them better. The six drawings in Memory of a Body depict her guide dog London, a yellow Labrador retriever. Some are mundane (Arm, Tail, Butthole, 2019), some are fantastical (London and the Goddess, 2019), and all are ripe with Gossiaux’s signature: a silly sort of sweetness.

Visible through Mother Gallery’s window are two sculptures of London that are monumental in size. She’s standing on her hind legs with her arms outstretched, ready to rest her paws in yours and sway side to side for a dance. That’s one way London shows affection. Emilie remarked to me that the process of making those papier-mâché sculptures felt a lot like petting her pooch: rubbing a mushy, wet paper pulp onto the dog’s Styrofoam body. She made them while awaiting London’s biopsy results, and wanted to memorialize their good times together (thankfully, the news was good).

Behind the larger-than-life Londons sits a big blue wedge titled Cerulean: Big Sur, Summer 2010 (Blue Wedge). Reconstructed from the artist’s memory of visiting Big Sur, a California tidal pool, the memory-foam lined piece creates the simultaneous sensations of sinking and floating that characterize swimming in water. And, its triangle shape evokes the invisible, sloping geometry that lies beneath the ocean’s surface known as the continental shelf. Walking alongside the wedge recreates the sensation of walking deeper into the water. The work both reflects the artist’s memory of a good time, and provides a place of rest within the gallery: viewers are invited to sit on the memory-foam-topped wedge. And above the wedge hangs a large circle painted different shades of a fiery orange titled Atomic Tangerine: Looking at the Sun With Your Eyes Closed (2018).

Throughout the gallery are several life-size ceramic sculptures of body parts: a foot, an ankle. Each are inscribed with tattoos belonging either to herself, or to one of her family members. They’re filled with black expanding foam that seeps through the incisions, reminding that tattoos as a form of self-expression are kind of like your insides coming out for others to see. The series is titled “Outerspace” after the name of the sparkly black color Gossiaux chose for the foam; “Atomic Tangerine” and “Cerulean” are Crayola names, too. While these works were made from memory, Finger Through Palm—a papier-mâché sculpture of two hands—depicts a practice for inducing lucid dreaming. If you practice imagining piercing the palm of your hand with your finger while touching one to the other, some say that you’ll start to be able to control your dreams. Gossiaux is a lucid dreamer, which I was not surprised to learn, since her artwork so richly captures her vivid memories.