Popel Coumou Solo Exhibition at LMAKgallery New York

Fri, Oct 21 - Fri, Dec 16  2016

From October 21 until December 16, Dutch photographer Popel Coumou will present her work in ‘Popel’, a solo exhibition at the LMAKgallery. This exhibit features two series of photographs in which she emphasizes the importance of light and pushes the element of her signature abstracted narrative into a new realm: the silent contemplation of emptiness. In the series that she started in 2015, Popel began to erase the presence of her photographed subject and re-interpreted its horizon, from a point of reference into abstraction. The horizon could become a line or the sun could become a dot, adjusting the assumed narrative to the origins of abstract art and the essence of composition. This echoes the steps taken by her illustrious predecessors from De Stijl, such as Mondrian and Van der Leck.

In the series that followed, the act of eradicating the landscape to its bare essence looks like an overexposed image, but upon closer inspection reveals Popel’s style of collaging abstract form into and interacting within a natural environment. The white on white work resolves the balance between logic and nature through invisibility; present in its own absence. A quality that is achieved in the act of collage, as it offers Popel the unique ability to deal with form and structure like a painter, and yet deal with the assumed reality and romantic narrative of photography. This crossover play with visual language makes the work monumental.

Coinciding with the exhibit will be the launch of ‘Popel Bordeaux’, the 4th book publication of Popel’s work. The 5th book will be published in April along with a box that will hold all five copies.

About Popel Coumou

Popel Coumou is a Dutch photographer whose work has been collected and shown by museums such as the Gemeente Museum Den Haag, Foam, Huis Marseille, and the Dutch Ministry. Her work has been awarded with several prizes, including winning the Hyères Photography competition. Her commissions include a catalogue for Hermès at Villa Poiret Mallet-Stevens. She recently had a mini-retrospective of her work in the Cultural Museum of Mechelen in Belgium. 

About LMAKgallery

LMAKgallery was founded by Louky Keijsers Koning in 2005 and Bart Keijsers Koning joined as co-owner in 2009. The gallery’s primary interest lies in the commitment to the artist’s process and dedication to their thoughts and production. LMAKgallery works with artists who have proven to sustain continuity in their visual expression without being repetitive. The gallery strives to introduce collectors to new horizons through visual, sound, or conceptual experience, as well as opening communication to develop a relation between the viewer and the art. LMAKgallery is known for its exhibitions with international allure and focusing on interdisciplinary practices.