Strange Reflections
Melissa Sims & Alison Underwood
Alison Underwood
Underwood’s practice incorporates themes of mythology, transformation, and the underbelly of desire. In her new body of work, black serpents intertwine with mounds of chromatic, disembodied hair. Executed in countless layers of colored pencil, locks of animated hair writhe across wood panels with a dark charm. The series alludes to femme fatale archetype and brings into focus the uncomfortable communion between beauty and horror. Underwood holds a B.A. in Studio Art from The University of Louisville and an M.A. in History of Design and Curatorial Studies from Parsons/Cooper Hewitt in New York City. She lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee.
Melissa Sims
Influenced by Pop-Art and Americana, Sims composes paint-by-number style landscapes punctuated by hyper-realistic neon signs. Through remixing familiar or nostalgic imagery Sims produces unexpected narratives and humorous contradictions. She meticulously crafts these surreal scenes onto wood panels which are then preserved beneath a thick, shiny resin. Sims' work gives the impression of having captured a sugar rush inside a snow globe. Sims holds a BFA in Photography and a BA in Art History from The University of Georgia and continued to hone her technique during her 17 years in Los Angeles. She currently lives and works from her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.