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= Imogen Taylor = Imogen Taylor (born 1985) is a New Zealand artist known for her geometric abstract paintings that engage with the forms and legacies of European Modernism, particularly those related to LGBTQIA+ identity.

Early Life and Education
Imogen Taylor was born in 1985 in Whangarei, New Zealand. She graduated from the University of Auckland's Elam School of Fine Arts in 2007 with a BFA and a Post-Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts in 2010. After living and working in Auckland for many years, Taylor is currently residing in Dunedin as the Frances Hodgkins Fellow.

Artistic Practice
Taylor's paintings draw from the abstracted forms and coloured juxtapositions of Cubism, Fauvism, and Russian Constructivism, but her work is characterized by a joyful, sincere, and pleasurable aesthetic, in contrast to the masculine self-seriousness often associated with those movements. Her work explores LGBTQIA+ themes and legacies within the context of European Modernism.

Taylor's paintings often feature a contrast of imposing parallel lines with soft curves, as well as the use of thickly applied colour. She also incorporates textiles and hessian into her work, which she believes speaks to the textile histories of the Bauhaus. Parallel to the physical act of painting, Taylor believes queerness functions as a medium that is activated by her body, and that Cubism and queer theory share multi-perspectivity.

Critics have described Taylor's paintings as "tragicomedies" that merge modernist forms with a sense of the abject and transgressive imagery. Her work is seen as sitting between "authenticity and appropriation" as she samples and remixes elements of 20th century European Modernism. Taylor's ironic sensibility is said to disrupt potential for cosy or nostalgic readings of mid-century formalism, alerting the viewer to the politics and histories embedded in her work.

Exhibitions and Residencies
Taylor regularly exhibits with the Michael Lett gallery in Auckland, as well as throughout New Zealand and internationally. In 2018, she was named the Paramount award winner of the Wallace Art Awards, which allowed her a six-month residency at the ISCP in New York in 2020.

In 2017, Taylor was an artist in residence at the McCahon House in Titirangi, where she was influenced by the local modernist painter Colin McCahon, who had also engaged with Cubist vocabulary in his work. This residency informed her subsequent exhibition "Pocket Histories" at Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in 2018.

Other notable exhibitions of Taylor's work include:

- "Murmurs" at Michael Lett Gallery in Auckland (2023)

- "Quiet Motel" at Whangārei Art Museum in Whangārei (2022)

- "Sapphic Fragments" at Hocken Collections Uare Taoka o Hākena in Dunedin (2020)

- "Social Studies" at The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt (2019)

- "BODY LANGUAGE" at Artspace in Auckland (2015)

Publications
In April 2022, a monograph titled "IMOGEN TAYLOR" was published by Michael Lett.

Additionally, Taylor co-publishes "Femisphere" zine with Judy Darragh, a long-term publication project interested in encouraging inclusivity and visibility of women's practices in the visual arts sector of Aotearoa.

Critical Reception
Taylor's paintings have been praised for their engagement with the forms and legacies of European Modernism, particularly Cubism, Fauvism, and Russian Constructivism. Her work is noted for its joyful, sincere, and pleasurable aesthetic, which contrasts with the masculine self-seriousness often associated with those movements.

Critics have drawn parallels between Taylor's process and that of New Zealand modernist painter Colin McCahon, who also engaged with Cubist vocabulary in his work. Taylor's paintings are described as "tragicomedies" that merge modernist forms with a sense of the abject and transgressive imagery, sitting between "authenticity and appropriation" as she samples and remixes elements of 20th century European Modernism.

Her ironic sensibility is seen as disrupting potential for cosy or nostalgic readings of mid-century formalism, alerting the viewer to the politics and histories embedded in her work. Taylor's paintings are also recognized for their exploration of LGBTQIA+ themes and legacies within the context of European Modernism.