Petra Cortright – Void Mastery / Blank Control

27 January – 4 March 2012

The Composing Rooms is pleased to present Petra Cortright in her first solo show in the UK and theinaugural exhibition of the 2012 residency: THE GREEN ROOM.

Petra Cortright creates digitally rendered paintings and internet conscious web–cam works utilisingeasily accessible digital elements.

Cortright works from the bedroom of wherever she is, whether it be Berlin, Tokyo, New York – or often at home with her 'mom' in Santa Barbara where her dogs and mom sometimes interrupt, or become part of her videos.

The video works are charming and what Paul Chan describes as “disinterested” – a symptom ofmass culture's interaction with technology; “intellectual and aesthetic impoverishment, which isperhaps the truth of reality today”. Cortright delivers her webcam video art alongside the mosthit on youtube incorporating over the counter software that often distort her image... throughouther performative videos she remains disengaged with her audience.

The video works are charming and what Paul Chan describes as “disinterested” – a symptom of mass culture's interaction with technology; “intellectual and aesthetic impoverishment, which isperhaps the truth of reality today”. Cortright delivers her webcam video art alongside the mosthit on youtube incorporating over the counter software that often distort her image... throughouther performative videos she remains disengaged with her audience.

The painting works are digitally rendered, using specially designed brushes and standard setsthat come with programmes including Photoshop. The new medium has recreated painting as acrylicpaint did for abstraction. The works from Void Mastery / Blank Control are simultaneously powerfuland feminine, embracing digital elements in a playful manner by including outsourced imagery andbold colour schemes.

Cotright's works have been exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions at Preteen, Mexico [2011 & 2010] and GLORIAMARIA – Milan [2010]. Upcoming solo show at Club Midnight, Berlin ( September) and group exhibition E−Vapor−8 curated by Francesca Gavin at 319 Scholes, New York(May). Past group exhibitions include: Banal Inferno – Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow[2011], New Wave – The Internet Pavilion, Venice Biennale, VVork Show – Munich; Treasure Room(Loshadka) – Light Industry, New York and Endless Pot of Gold CD–Rs (Nasty Nets) – SundanceInternational Film Festival [2009].

The artist has also participated in panel discussions devoted to the subject of internet and videoart, most recently in: web.video the new net.art? at Transmediale Festival Berlin [2012]; EmergingTrends in Internet Art, presented by Rhizome.org, SXSW Festival [2011], and “Net Aesthetics 2.0” at the New Museum [2008]. Petra studied at Parsons School of Design in New York and CaliforniaCollege of the Arts in San Francisco. She is currently based in Santa Barbara and has producedworks whist living in Berlin, New York and Tokyo.