Ripped, sliced and torn strips of muslin collide with drawn lines, dry pigment, scratches, washes and stains creating elaborate spatial figurations. Visible are fragments of bodies, machines and architecture suggestive of invented narratives, memories and sounds. The works in this exhibition are particularly visceral. The predominant reds evoke the sensation and proximity of flesh. According to Gueorguieva many of the works are inspired by the stories of a former fighter pilot. The most provoking aspect for her is the simultaneous integration of the human body within the surfaces and frequencies of the plane and on the other hand the profound disjunction the moment the body resists: a loud heart beat in the helmet, a pain or simply the sensation of fear. The paintings address this tension and its potential for collapse.

Iva Gueorguieva (b. 1974, Bulgaria) received an MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Recent solo shows include Bravin Lee Programs, New York, NY; LUX Art Institute, Encinitas, CA; Angles Gallery, Los Angeles; Stichting Outline, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Pomona Museum of Art, Claremont, CA. Notable group shows include among others include Galerie Lelong, New York, NY; the Contemporary Art Museum at USF, Tampa, FL; Pasadena Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA; Dunn and Brown Contemporary, Dallas, TX. Her work is included in many public and private collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA. Her work is represented by Ameringer| McEnery | Yohe and Bravin Lee Programs in New York. She is the recipient of the California Community Foundation mid-career fellowship for 2010 and the Pollock-Krasner Grant for 2006. She has an upcoming show at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects in 2012.