tchotchke chats: horror, influence, practice
Working the Graveyard Shift with Rachael Tarravechia
by Danielle Dewar, Tchotchke Gallery
“In my paintings, I wish to create environments that are pleasing to the eye but have enough subtleties within the work to have the feeling of peace slowly fade away,” reveals Tchotchke Gallery artist Rachael Tarravechia. Atmosphere and narrative are essential components of Tarravechia’s practice so it’s no surprise that her travels have inspired a new, exciting body of work. From Ohio to Japan, she honors her past by mirroring these experiences in a series of vastly ornate paintings. Four large-scale paintings are currently on view at the artist’s debut New York solo exhibition entitled Wish You Were Here at Launch F18 in Manhattan through December 4th.
Though Tarravechia is originally from North Carolina, she now stands firmly rooted in Brooklyn while continuing to take reference from the various places she has visited to inform a robust artistic practice. When asked about the inspiration behind the title of her forthcoming exhibition, Tarravechia recalls fondly, “I was thinking of postcards.”
Tarravechia invites us to revisit her memories as an uninterrupted voyeur of her self-referential postcards through this new body of work. Devoid of human subjects, quiet isolation pervades the idyllic scenes in her paintings. Often finding herself alone amongst a plethora of alluring environments, an interesting dichotomy presents itself that has inspired her to recreate feeling content amongst the discomfort of such isolation.
Unsurprisingly, the media Tarravechia enjoys also informs the subtle eeriness in her work. As a horror fan herself, urging viewers to embrace the macabre is nothing new to Tarravechia. Previous works by the artist have featured broken glass, chainsaws, and knives amongst an otherwise pristine interior scene. Tarravechia has named American Psycho as having influenced various imagery and motifs in her paintings from earlier this year. Contrary to this approach, the works in Wish You Were Here present the sinister as existing just below the surface.
Dedicated to evolving her practice, Tarravechia pivots in her approach to portray atmosphere and narrative. In addition to less pronounced nods to gore and horror, viewers can look forward to more gradients and fewer embellishments, for now at least! I recently caught up with the artist days before her solo presentation. In our conversation, Tarravechia speaks about preparing the show, and her long-standing influences.
What was your very first thought after being offered a solo show with Launch F18?
Extremely excited! I first showed at Launch F18 in 2019 for a three-person show, and have been developing a relationship with them ever since. I love working with them, and the freedom that comes with a solo show - it’s really inspiring.
Can you describe the theme of your forthcoming exhibition? How did you come up with it?
The title of the show is Wish You Were Here. I'm using reference photos of places where I felt like the architecture or the purpose and feeling of the rooms were contradictory. For example, I had a very quiet moment alone at the greenhouse, and in my head, I keep romanticizing that memory. However, when I think back to it, I was in a building alone, but it was never truly private since the whole structure is made of glass.
Other photos I will be painting for the show include empty public bathhouses. I aim to emphasize how I romanticize these still, private moments, and want to make them feel a tad eerie since they are void of people. That's where the title comes in. These spaces don't have an empty feeling, but a feeling of longing.
What have you been experimenting with lately? Anything new for this show?
More gradients! And fewer embellishments. My paintings used to be even flatter than they currently are, so I’m still working on how I want to portray depth and perspective.
Your travels have influenced your new work. Can you elaborate more on this, especially in regards to your solo show?
Yes! Most of the photos I’m using as references for this show are ones I took while visiting Japan in 2019. Other photos are from out of state. I love architecture and interior design, and it’s so interesting to me how wildly these aesthetic decisions change depending on where you are, and what year the room was designed in. The name of the show, Wish You Were Here, is about my travels in 2019.
How do you utilize the macabre in your work? What was the inspiration behind this? Is this something you’re exploring currently?
I’m a huge horror fan. It’s a genre that reflects society's fears at the time, and we can see this across every decade from the 1950s to now in the types of horror films being made. I find it extremely interesting how much fear informs our everyday decisions and life choices. In this series of paintings, I want to highlight that feeling of fear, but cloak it amongst “prettiness.” All of the paintings have a heavy red and pink color palette, and that’s because in color psychology over a small window of time, pink has a calming effect. However, during prolonged exposure to pink, the person surrounded by the color starts feeling agitated. In addition to color psychology, I’m exploring inserting subtle narratives that could be interpreted as macabre, but could also be explained away. It’s up to the viewer to decide.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve come across as a working artist?
I am creating realistic expectations for myself. If my latest painting isn’t my new favorite, I automatically feel like I’m failing. And I’m also finding a good work-life balance.
Do you think that your background and your home state of North Carolina have influenced your work?
Definitely! I grew up in a suburban area, so all the buildings had the same new home architecture. In middle school, I would watch HGTV all the time with my mom, and we particularly loved House Hunters. Seeing old homes in Florida looked so exotic and esoteric, that’s when my love of interior design took off. So, growing up in Charlotte had sort of a reverse influence on my work.
How have you navigated finding your identity as an artist? How has this evolved?
In college, I looked at a lot of artists trying to decide what I liked, what my tendencies were when it came to creating, what would it look like to fuse how I naturally want to paint and what I want my paintings to look like until I found a good mix of that. Then, I stopped looking at artists for a while, because I wanted to see where my own practice would lead me. Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious because I don’t look at as much art as I feel like I should, or that other artists do, but I’ve been enjoying having the identity and work evolve from my mind.