Elsa Rouy
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Overview
All of Rouy’s works are pervaded by a certain unknowability, an abject ‘inbetweenness,’ they refuse to be constrained to any one specific meaning. Rouy’s works are provocative, they interrogate perceived notions of gender, sex and feeling and they intrude and stick themselves irreversibly onto the psychology of their viewers.
London based artist Elsa Rouy creates images of intense psychological depth. Rouy describes her work as “a visual portrayal of abstruse emotions.” Through painting, Rouy attempts to get to the heart of her own personal experience as a woman.
Throughout her oeuvre, physical boundaries seem to dissipate: bodies split and rupture, separate skins seep and melt into one another and leaking bodily fluids drip and mingle together. For Rouy, bodies are in a constant state of ‘becoming,’ they are never static or inert, instead, they are a site of process and flux. Critical theorist Mikhail Bakhtin’s formulation of the grotesque body is one that “is not separated from the rest of the world.” For Bakhtin, this kind of body is not “a closed, completed unit;” instead “it is unfinished, [it] outgrows itself, transgresses its own limits.” Rouy’s grotesque bodies constantly extend and exceed beyond their own physical bounds. By stressing the parts of the body that represent the osmosis between the exterior, outside world and the interior, bodily world, (the breasts; the genitalia, the mouth and the eyes) Rouy creates a world in which the strict delineation between different bodies is wiped away and effaced.
Many of Rouy’s works are also tinged with feelings of extreme tenderness. Bodies fuse together in transfigured sex acts, weeping, desperate eyes look out blankly beyond the viewer and supple hands clutch at and caress other shoulders and torsos. These are human beings portrayed at their most vulnerable. Throughout Rouy’s oeuvre, figures constantly occupy situations that sit uncomfortably between that of suffering and that of pleasure. Faces could be contorted in pain, distorted and misshapen, with tongues writhing under the unspeakability of suffering or they could be thrown back in carnal rapture; succumbing to the throes of sexual abandon. All of Rouy’s works are pervaded by a certain unknowability, an abject ‘inbetweenness,’ they refuse to be constrained to any one specific meaning. Rouy’s works are provocative, they interrogate perceived notions of gender, sex and feeling and they intrude and stick themselves irreversibly onto the psychology of their viewers.
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Biography
Courtesy of Brynley Odu DaviesB. 2000, Sittingbourne, UK. Based in London UK.
Education
2018-2021 Camberwell College of the Arts (UAL), BA First Class Hons Painting, London
2016-2018 University for the creative arts, Level 3 extended diploma in art and design
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Upcoming, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2024 Ephialtes, GNYP Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
2023 The Only Daughter, Steve Turner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, (USA)
2022 I Could Always Crack a Joke, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2021 A Demon in a Sundress, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2020 Plastic Doesn’t Sweat, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2020 Platform, Unit London, London, (UK)
Art Fairs
2023 Untitled, Miami Beach, Steve Turner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (USA)
2023 Steve Turner, Future Fair, New York, NY (USA)
2023 Wrinkles in My Sheets, Ye Collective, Hybrid Art Fair, Madrid, Spain
Group Exhibitions
2024 Obsidian Upset, Des Bains, London, (UK)
2024 JITTERS, Nathalie Karg Gallery, New York, NY (USA)2024 Aperitif, Palazzo Monti, Italy
2024 Softer, Softest, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2024 The Body Electric, Larsen Warner, Stockholm, Sweden, (SE)
2024 NEW NOW: Part 2, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2023 Bye Bye Cowboy, Arusha Gallery, London, (UK)
2023 Saints and Sinners, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2023 Elsa Rouy & Emil Urbanek, EIGEN + ART Lab, Berlin, Germany
2023 The Artist is Present, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2023 (It's My Party) I Can Cry if I Want to, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2022 Human In Training, Tuesday to Friday, Valencia, Spain
2022 There Goes the Neighbourhood, Castor Gallery, London, (UK)
2022 ‘…and kneeling at the edge of the transparent sea I shall shape for myself a new heart from salt and mud.’, Kupfer Projects, London, (UK)
2022 Out of Nowhere, Soho Revue, London, (UK)
2022 Two Sisters, Roman Road Gallery, London, (UK)
2022 Damned If I Do, Gallery 46 Whitechapel, London, (UK)
2022 CACOTOPIA, Annka Kultys, London, (UK)
2021 Brain Food Charity Auction, The Auction Collective, London, (UK)
2021 I Have My Eye On You, Everyday Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
2021 Reality Check, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2021 Don't Go South, Studio Berkheim, Stuttgart, Germany
2021 A New Art World, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2021 Introducing, The Shop at Sadie Coles HQ, London, (UK)
2021 For The Many Not The Few, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2020 Limbo, Everyday Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
2020 Begin Again, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2020 When spiders unite they can tie down a lion, Daniel Raphael Gallery, London, (UK)
2020 Drawn Together, Unit London, London, (UK)
2020 No time like the present, Public Gallery, London, (UK)
2020 Guts Gallery Claps back, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
2020 When Shit Hits The Fan, Guts Gallery, Guts Gallery, London, (UK)
Exhibitions-
Softer, Softest
26 April - 21 May 2024Read more -
NEW NOW
Co-curated by Ell Pennick and Brynley Odu Davies 1 December 2023 - 6 February 2024Read more -
Saints and Sinners
9 June - 7 July 2023Read more -
(IT’S MY PARTY) I CAN CRY IF I WANT TO
13 January - 2 February 2023Read more -
The Artist is Present
7 October - 3 November 2022Read more -
ELSA ROUY
I Could Always Crack A Joke 5 - 26 May 2022‘I Could Always Crack a Joke’ showcases a new body of work by Elsa Rouy that ridicules, empathises with, and embraces the bizarre navigation of the human condition. The exhibition...Read more -
REALITY CHECK
23 September - 3 October 2021Opening: Thur 23 Sept 6-9pm Exhibition Location: Anderson Contemporary, Carpenter’s Wharf Studios, 4b Roach Road, London E3 2PA Via Monier Road Footbridge Regular Opening Hours: Wed - Sun 11-6pm Guts...Read more -
ELSA ROUY
A DEMON IN A SUNDRESS 19 - 26 August 2021Private View: 19th August 6-9pm Location: 147 Stoke Newington High Street, London, N16 0NY General Opening Hours: 11 - 6pm Request a catalogue A Demon in...Read more -
A NEW ART WORLD
A NEW ART WORLD IS POSSIBLE. 22 - 29 July 2021Private View: Thursday 22 July 6-9pm Opening Hours: Tues - Sun 11am - 6pm Location: 147 Stoke Newington High Street, London, N16 0NY No RSVP's required BUY THE MANIFESTO PRINT...Read more -
INTRODUCING
London Gallery Weekend at The Shop at Sadie Coles HQ 4 - 6 June 2021London Gallery Weekend 4-6 June 2021 11am - 8pm (Opening day) 11am - 6pm (Regular hours) The Shop at Sadie Coles HQ, 62 Kingly Street, London W1B 5QN Directions...Read more
Press-
The Radar: Elsa Rouy, Julia Kowalska and Clark Keatley
Plaster, 13 Aug 2024 -
This Exhibition Explores the Sinister Side of Being a Girl Online
Sofia Hallstrom, AnOther Magazine, 13 Aug 2024 -
This exhibition is a Tumblr-inspired, neo-noir tale of modern girlhood
Ayla Angelos, Dazed, 9 Aug 2024 -
Elsa Rouy: In conversation with the artist championing the grotesque
Izabelle Pullin, Shift, 16 May 2024 -
Elsa Rouy, the Painter Turning Her Worst Nightmares Into Art
Emily Steer, AnOther Magazine, 5 Mar 2024 -
How to nail your next art fair
Amah-Rose Abrams and Josephine Binta Judd, GQ Magazine, 11 Oct 2023 -
Elsa Rouy Talks About Her Art, Shame and Guilt The female Sexual Gaze, Creative Process & More
Rubén Palma, Overstandard, 21 Sep 2023 -
10 Emerging Painters Born in the 2000s to Watch Now
Bella Bonner-Evans, Artsy, 10 Aug 2023 -
MUST-SEE EXHIBITIONS BY QUEER ARTISTS
Marni McFall, FLANNELS, 15 Jun 2023 -
Reflections and Resilience: The Bold Spectrum of LGBTQIA+ Artistry at the ‘Saints and Sinners’ Exhibition
Vanity Teen, 13 Jun 2023 -
The defiant new queer art show fuelled by ‘disgust at the world’
Zoe Whitfield, Dazed, 9 Jun 2023 -
"SAINTS AND SINNERS" AT GUTS GALLERY DEPICTS A JOURNEY OF LGBTQIA+ RESILIENCE
Sofia de la Cruz, Hypebae, 8 Jun 2023 -
Saints and Sinners
Art Plugged, 8 Jun 2023 -
Art shows to leave the house for in June 2023
Ashleigh Kane, Dazed, 5 Jun 2023 -
‘Saints and Sinners’ platforms LGBTQIA+ artists during Pride Month.
QX Magazine, 1 Jun 2023 -
The art of the artist portrait, with photographer Brynley Odu Davies
Olivia Hingley, It's Nice That, 30 May 2023 -
The artist and the work: Portraits capturing creative solitude
Ry Gavin, Hunger Magazine, 5 May 2023 -
Portraits of young British artists in the seclusion of their studios
Gilda Bruno, Dazed, 4 May 2023 -
Exploring the depths of the human experience with Elsa Rouy's figurative paintings
Joey Levenson, It's Nice That, 2 May 2023 -
Sex, sci-fi and Scottish patriotism: 200 UK artists caught at work
Jade Wickes, The Face, 26 Apr 2023 -
SUPERHEROINES
Christiane Meixner and Clara Zimmermann, Weltkunst, 19 Apr 2023 -
103: Show Us Your Guts (Gallery)
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Share this article Email Facebook Twitter It’s Our Party and We’ll Cry If We Want To
Tahney Fosdike, Plinth, 27 Jan 2023 -
The exhibition about femininity, sexualisation, & crying on your birthday
Millen Brown-Ewens, i-D Magazine, 19 Jan 2023 -
Sensual and grotesque depictions of modern womanhood
Emily Dinsdale, Dazed, 16 Jan 2023 -
Cate Blanchett’s Tàr, getting grotesque with Guts Gallery and a Lychee Martini at Chet’s
Hero Magazine, 13 Jan 2023 -
Art shows to leave the house for this January
Ashleigh Kane, Dazed, 11 Jan 2023 -
FOUR SHOWS TO OPEN IN LONDON THIS WEEK
Maribelle Bierens, Where's The Frame, 10 Jan 2023 -
(IT’S MY PARTY) I CAN CRY IF I WANT TO
Mark Westall, FAD Magazine, 29 Dec 2022 -
GUTS 2022 CLOSING EXHIBITION IN SUPPORT OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN IRAN
Mark Westall, FAD Magazine, 15 Dec 2022 -
The coolest art and art-adjacent things to buy and fawn over, Elsa Rouy, I Could Always Crack a Joke Limited Edition Pri
Spittle, Elephant Magazine, 8 Oct 2022 -
London Gallery Weekend: the emerging galleries shaking up the capital’s art scene
Ben Luke, Evening Standard, 10 May 2022 -
TEN’S TO SEE: ‘I COULD ALWAYS CRACK A JOKE’ BY ELSA ROUY AT GUTS GALLERY
Paul Toner, 10 Magazine , 6 May 2022 -
Elsa Rouy in “CACOTOPIA 06” at Annka Kultys Gallery, London
Cecilia March, Flash Art , 12 Feb 2022 -
Ten women artists and designers on their love of Louise Bourgeois
Emily Dinsdale, DAZED, 22 Feb 2022 -
Guts Director Ellie Pennick and Elsa Rouy interview with The Wick Culture
The Wick Culture, 4 Jan 2022 -
FAD Magazine feature Guts latest exhibition REALITY CHECK
Mark Westall , FAD Magazine , 23 Sep 2021 -
DAZED features latest Guts exhibition, REALITY CHECK
Emily Dinsdale, DAZED, 21 Sep 2021 -
THE FACE INTERVIEWS ELSA ROUY ON HER LATEST SOLO EXHIBITION
TJ SIDHU, THE FACE , 24 Aug 2021 -
Guts Gallery featured in The New York Times 'Gallery Weekend Brings London's Art Scene Back to Life '
Scott Reyburn, The New York Times , 7 Jun 2021 -
Coeval Magazine Interviews Elsa Rouy
Coeval Magazine, 24 Mar 2021 -
Artist Elsa Rouy #01 Art Adventures Podcast
Custorian, Soundcloud, 5 Mar 2021 -
Elsa Rouy is the British art scene’s bold new romantic
TJ Sidhu, THE FACE, 4 Feb 2021 -
Top Ten Shows from the UK and Ireland
Mimi Chu, Frieze, 12 Feb 2021 -
INTERVIEW WITH ELSA ROUY
SAINT MAISON, 7 Sep 2020 -
ON VIEW BY FLASH ART: “It’s 2020 For F*ck Sake” Guts Gallery and Soft Punk / London
Flash Art , 11 Dec 2020 -
IT’S 2020 FOR F*CK SAKE
ART PLUGGED, ART PLUGGED, 30 Sep 2020 -
The London art you can take a virtual tour of right now for free
Lucy Scovell, The Glossary, 29 Mar 2020 -
This Instagram-only exhibition is full of London’s best young artists
Eddy Frankel, Time Out London, 24 Mar 2020 -
Begin Again: The online exhibition challenging austerity and racial oppression
Scarlett Baker , Love Magazine, 13 Aug 2020 -
Scrap that, lets begin again
TJ Sidhu, The Face, 13 Aug 2020 -
Ten's to see 'When Shit Hits the Fan', The insta-exhibition by Guts Gallery
Paul Toner, 10 Magazine, 2 Apr 2020 -
Art markets find high-tech ways to reach buyers
Melanie Gerlis, Financial Times, 27 Mar 2020 -
When Shit Hits the Fan (In the Artworld)
TJ Sidhu, The Face, 27 Mar 2020 -
Guts Gallery present ‘When shit hits the fan’ a digital Instagram exhibition
Mark Westall, Fad Magazine, 23 Mar 2020 -
Begin Again is the virtual art exhibition tackling racial inequality
Gunseli Yalcinkaya, Dazed , 14 Aug 2020
Publications
