MAJOR SOLO EXHIBITION OF 366 PANDEMIC SELF PORTRAITS

El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109 presents

SELF 2020 hindsight / 366 portraits by Fran Beallor
Daily Self Portraits drawn through the leap year of the global pandemic

Solo Exhibition of 366 self portraits by NYC artist Fran Beallor
Opening reception Friday, September 9, 6-9pm 
Exhibition dates: Wednesday, September 7 – Saturday, October 1, 2022 
Show open daily: 10am-7pm

El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109
215 E. 99th Street
New York, NY 10029

Save the Dates:
Artist Talk Sunday September 18, 2022 – 3:30pm
Special Saturday events held in September 2022 (9/17 and 9/24) details TBA
Closing Party Saturday October 1, 2022 time TBA  

Above: The artist at work in the studio, arranging the drawings in a month gridPhotography by Fran Beallor, 2021 / all images courtesy of the artist

El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109 is pleased to present SELF: 2020 hindsight / 366 portraits by NYC-based artist Fran Beallor, her first solo exhibition at PS 109. Consisting of a self portrait drawn each day in 2020 during the COVID period, the drawings document the life of one artist living through the global pandemic. The opening reception will take place Friday, September 9, 6-9pm. Exhibition dates are Wed, Sept 7 – Sat, Oct 1, 2022 at 215 E. 99th Street In NYC.

On January 1st, 2020, artist Fran Beallor began her fourth self-portrait-a-day drawing series. Created over four decades, these four one-year long series of over 1,200 self-portraits have become an unexpected lifetime journey. But 2020 took Beallor in a direction no one could predict.

Begun in a mood of introspection, the series quickly morphed into something much bigger. Beallor’s original idea for SELF 2020 was a visual diary of one woman’s life in art. This gave way to a more universal concept as we headed into lockdown in March and our world turned upside down. Nobody had any idea what the year held in store: global pandemic, rampant disinformation, Black Lives Matter protests, deadly worldwide wildfires fueled by climate change, an election unlike any in history, unprecedented vaccine development.

As self-observation gave way to her reactions to dramatic current events, multiple sub-series emerged, including one based on her phone. American Arts Quarterly writer Meredith Bergmann comments, “The intrusion/inclusion/inspiration of the iPhone … in Beallor’s drawings … is wonderful.” Doing a new drawing every single day, gave her ample space to explore these themes and more:

• The iPhone series emerged from two opposite places. Beallor tried to balance a feeling of “Drowning in Tech” with gratitude for a vital tool to quickly document what was going on while staying connected to the world when we had to stay distant.
• The Box series was a visceral reaction to being boxed in. Delivery boxes became our lifeline to the outside world during lockdowns, and when we had to quarantine.
• The Shadows series developed during lonely night time walks to avoid crowds. Long shadows from street lights spoke to how people were feeling – like shadow-selves. Shadows later became an important metaphor for our human impact on the planet.

“I make self portraits to see and interpret my world.” – Fran Beallor

All 366 drawings from SELF 2020 will be on view, hung in 12 large month blocks, along with examples from the prior years’ series. SELF 1980 done in her twenties, SELF 2000 as a young mother, and SELF 2010 after resuming art full-time – over 400 drawings plus some of Beallor’s self-portrait paintings as well.

SELF 2020 Hindsight / 366 Drawings at El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109 
215 East 99th Street  New York, NY 10029    (212) 360-0400