PRESS RELEASE

Cal Lane Ammunition

Benrimon Contemporary

November 3, 2011 – December 17, 2011 For immediate release

Benrimon Contemporary is pleased to announce Ammunition, Cal Lane’s first solo exhibition with the gallery.

Lane creates intricate sculptures using religious or mythological imagery and lace-like patterns juxtaposed within industrial materials such as steel beams, oil drums and ammunition boxes. She works as a visual devil’s advocate, using contradiction as a vehicle for finding her way to an empathetic image; an image of opposition that creates a balance – as well as a clash – by comparing and contrasting ideas and materials.

Lane’s current series, Ammunition, contrasts beautiful, luxurious patterns and imagery from moments in history with utilitarian objects of ammunition boxes and sewer pipes that connote the darker realities of contemporary life. She uses contrasting ideas and materials to highlight connections between class, social status and the value that society places on these tenets. Lane is not critical of these social imbalances; instead she draws awareness to the incongruous social structures of our current society.

The work in the exhibition includes a sewer pipe cut into a half-pipe and installed in upturned sections that still have a continuous feeling. For this piece, Lane references decorative imagery from the Rococo and Renaissance periods. Instead of creating one clear narrative throughout the work, she focuses on depicting unique characters and their interactions. Her characters are animal-human hybrids that combine fantasy and mythology with contemporary elements. Each section is displayed as a rib cage and explores the relationship that luxury, excess, and indulgence have with the overall importance we place on social value.

Cal Lane was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, grew up in Saanichton, British Columbia. She received her B.F.A in Painting from Victoria College of Art, Victoria, British Columbia in 1994. She went on to earn a second B.F.A. in Sculpture from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 2000 and completed her M.F.A in Sculpture from State University of New York in 2004. Lane lives and works in Putnam Valley, NY.

Benrimon Contemporary is located at 514 West 24th Street, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10011 between 10th and 11th Avenues. Our hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday by appointment.

For further information or images, please contact Molly Sampson at 212.924.2400 or [email protected]