joe sola exhibits six microscopic paintings inside gallerist's ear

joe sola exhibits microscopic paintings inside gallerist’s ear
portraits: an exhibition in tif sigfrids’ ear
installation view, 2013
oil, styrene, tape
variable dimensions

joe sola
tif sigfrids, los angeles
october 12 – november 9, 2013

the inaugural show at gallerist tif sigfrids’ new exhibition space will be held in a highly unusual place: the inside of her ear. american artist joe sola will present a series of six, microscopic portraits that will be situated in the miniature gap of the ear canal of sigfrids, who will be seated in the otherwise empty space during gallery hours for the entire length of the exhibition. visitors to ‘portraits: an exhibition in tif sigfrids’ ear’ will have to peer into the sound space in order to view the tiny, colorful faces, which despite their size express distinctive traits and charms. sola’s paintings are as small as 4/64 of an inch, a fraction of the size of a typical pinky fingernail. each portrait was created using a stereo microscope and required the build of special tools, which could accommodate the miniscule amounts of paint used. narrowed down with a sander, a .12-millimeter acupuncture needle — the smallest acupuncture needle available — became sola’s choice apparatus in the composition and illustration of each art work.

in an interview with art in america about the exhibit, sola says of the atypical relationship with the art dealer ‘…the gallerist is very physically involved in the work, and I like this idea of [it being] inward-looking. It’s as if you have to look into the head (mind) of the gallerist to see/experience the art’.

(left) young man crying, 2013
mixed media on styrene
5/64 x 15/128 inches
(right) untitled, 2013
oil on styrene
4/64 x 5/64 inches