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In hauntingly serene paintings and graphite drawings, Becca Mann is inspired by forgotten imagery from Imperial Russia on the brink of revolution. Sourcing a diaristic collection of personal snapshots from the Romanov family albums, and documentary photographs of the remote territories of the Russian Empire, Mann reflects on the coexistence of these two worlds at the irreconcilable instant of complete dissolution. The duality of this interaction permeates throughout the exhibition, illustrating the dialectical relationship between the urban center of the empire and the outer lying provinces, and also creating a sensual, aesthetic tension within the collective body of works. The position of the subjects at the precipice before the historical abyss is rendered also by way of their physical contexts—at the edges of bodies of water, deep in snowy forests, or surrounded by light and mist.

Becca Mann

Becca Mann
Prince Menshikov's Troika, 2008
Graphite on paper
48 x 38.5 in (121.9 x 97.8 cm)

Becca Mann

Becca Mann
Tatiana Romanova, 2008/09
Oil and graphite on panel
11.75 x 11.75 in (29.8 x 29.8 cm)

Becca Mann

Becca Mann
Alexandra Romanova, 2008
Oil on deerskin over panel
12 x 11.75 in (30.5 x 29.8 cm)

Becca Mann

Becca Mann
Romanov Garden, 2008
Graphite on paper
11.25 x 11.75 in (28.6 x 29.8 cm)

Becca Mann

Becca Mann
A Georgian Aristocrat from Tiflis, 2009
Oil on panel
10.75 x 14 in (27.3 x 35.6 cm)

Becca Mann

Becca Mann
Romanov Family Portrait, 2008/09
Oil on panel
48 x 48 in (121.9 x 121.9 cm)

Becca Mann

Becca Mann
Seascape, 2008
Graphite on paper
11.25 x 11.75 in (28.6 x 29.8 cm)

Becca Mann

Becca Mann
A young bull about to be sacrificed by the Cheremis c. 1900, 2008/09
Oil on canvas
48 x 63 in (121.9 x 152.4 cm)

Becca Mann

Becca Mann
Buryat Ritual Chariot, 2008
Graphite on paper
38 x 48 in (96.5 x 121.9 cm)