Artist Statement: My piano is based on a Matisse painting titled “The Piano Lesson”. Pinned between the ticking metronome and the disapproving adult, the boy sits at the piano as I once did, unprepared for the lesson ahead. I used Matisse’s painting as a backdrop for a tumble of weeds and wildflowers. I titled the piano “Where I’d Rather Be” because I was thinking of myself as a child, struggling to play my scales and wishing I was outdoors instead daydreaming (which was probably the reason I hadn’t practiced). I still play the piano and now I find the practice mesmerizing and meditative, a respite from the world like the escapes I made to the woods in my childhood. As I was painting this piano, the explosion of botany took on a second meaning and became symbolic of the music encircling the instrument when played, which I hope happens a lot.
Allison Gildersleeve lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She received her MFA from Bard College in 2004, and her BA from College of William and Mary in 1992. Gildersleeve has exhibited widely across the United States and abroad. Notable solo exhibitions include Olle Nymans Ateljeer (Stockholm, SE), Asya Geisberg Gallery (New York, NY), Robischon Gallery (Denver, CO), Cynthia Reeves (Walpole NH), Valley House Gallery (Dallas, TX) and Galleri Andersson/Sandstrom (Stockholm, SE). Selected group and two person exhibitions include Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (NY), CRG Gallery (New York, NY), Johansson Projects, (Oakland, CA), PS122 ( New York, NY), Sharon Arts Center, NH, Dunkers Kulturhus (Helsingberg, SE) and Gana Art Space (Seoul, Korea). Gildersleeve has been awarded a NYFA Fellowship, residencies at Yaddo, Millay Colony, Vermont Studio Center and a Liquitex Residency in London. Gildersleeve is a current resident of The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program in Dumbo, Brooklyn.
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