A surrealist exploration of gender, class and domesticity through the lens of a 1970s dinner party by multimedia artist Amanda Rowan. The West Coast Premier features the artist's provocative Place Setting and Ritual self-portrait images and still lifes in conjunction with her short film Place Setting; the latter was selected for inclusion in the 46th Mill Valley Film Festival in October.
View the collection by Amanda Rowan.
The Place Setting film is a sculptural and performance piece that is at once a celebration of matriarchy and the art and flair of the hostess; while simultaneously eluding to collective generational trauma through its deconstruction.
With vintage clothing and objects Rowan’s pieces look to the past, utilizing nostalgia to question our modern world. Aesthetically maximalist, the film, and related imagery are an exploration of conspicuous consumption; her eye is always on the notion of “beautiful excess”.
"Unquestionably maximalist, Rowan’s “Ritual” pieces are styled with a collector’s eye."
An exhibit of Rowan's images and installations will be on view in conjunction with the film at Downtown Mill Valley mixed-use gallery and retail space Poet and/the Bench. View collection here.
Highly performative, Rowan’s work tells timeless stories of domesticity through a cinematic lens. Within the film Place Setting, she plays a solitary housewife who creates and destroys a glamorous 1970s-style dinner party through retro gestures. The film is a sculptural and performance piece that is at once a celebration of matriarchy and the art and flair of the hostess; while simultaneously alluding to collective generational trauma through its deconstruction.
"Unquestionably maximalist, Rowan’s “Ritual” pieces are styled with a collector’s eye."
Follow this link to view Amanda Rowan's works for sale at Poet and/the Bench.
Watch the Place Setting film trailer:
Multimedia artist Amanda Rowan is proud to return to her hometown of Mill Valley for the West Coast premiere of her film Place Setting in conjunction with her Place Setting, Rituals and Dramatic Landscapes photographic series.
Rowan hails from local artists, daughter of Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductee, Peter Rowan, and niece of Chris and Lorin Rowan of the Rowan Brothers. A graduate of Tamalpais High School (Tam High) in Mill Valley, she grew up singing at Sweetwater Music Hall and acting in plays at the Marin Theater Company. Selected for the 46th Mill Valley Film Festival, the screening of Place Setting is a true homecoming for this Marin County family of renowned artists.
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