Bender Gallery is proud to present their latest collaboration with pop surrealist painter Laine Bachman in the form of her upcoming solo show ‘Elsewhere & Beyond’. Starting from April 5th, visitors to Bender Gallery are encouraged to stretch their imagination far out into the beyond to discover new life in a solar system of planets free from humanity’s cruel grasp. ‘Elsewhere & Beyond’ is a true celebration of Laine Bachman’s passion for the natural world and its many wonders and is sure to inspire all of our inner naturalists.
‘Elsewhere & Beyond‘
Exhibition dates: April 5 – April 26 2025
Artist Reception: April 5 2025 from 5pm – 8pm
Work on display: dozens of labor-intensive paintings depicting alternative planets, flora and fauna, and hybrid creatures. Some paintings have sewn elements, utilizing the artist’s vintage bead and sequin collection. The artist started working on her planet body of work in 2019 and ultimately made seventeen paintings for a solo show for the Canton Museum of Art of in 2024. While working on that show, she had solo shows at Bender Gallery in 2021 and 2023.
Bender Gallery
29 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC | ph. 828.505.8341
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 10am – 6pm
Sunday 12pm – 5pm
For inquiries please email [email protected]
Artist Statement:
There’s no denying that I’m a naturalist at heart. I have always gravitated towards learning and observing as much as I can about different aspects of nature, from the smallest organisms to the largest trees. I relish in the details of plant and animal life, going to lengths studying their structures and functions in order to recreate them on canvas. I’ll do sketches and take photos, keep books and field guides close and collect specimens from my own backyard to incorporate into my work. That part of me often says to stick to science/realism and illustrate what’s really there. To some degree that’s true, I do feel knowing how to draw from life gives me a platform from which I can jump. However, as an artist, I pull back the curtain to reveal a more ethereal and surreal world. I can contemplate the numinous beauty of nature by including a bit of mysticism and magic and allude to a deeper meaning behind things in the natural world.
Botanical wonders and fantastic creatures reside and flourish within the lands I create. Many of the flora and fauna I include are imaginary; mingling with subjects I take from the nature and the world around me. They are familiar and yet they might exist in the ether of an undiscovered realm. I find a large amount of inspiration from fairytales, myths and folklore. I think back to stories from my childhood or times when herbalism and alchemy were part of the belief system and omens signified a message from the divine. On some degree I include these points of view in my work because the juxtaposition of reality and fantasy can convey a sense of wonder. I set up a sort of dialog between what’s real and make-believe and it offers a host of archetypes that people can recognise and relate to on their own personal level.
The paintings in the planet series are my latest endeavor. They are filled with varieties of plants and animals that play a complex and intricate role on each planet. I see them as distant worlds, moons, or even jewels that contain a key to unlocking an understanding of the cosmos. In the same way a nebula is the birthplace of a new star or could be the remnants of stars long gone; the backgrounds represent something primordial from which these planets were born. Some harken back to early forms of life and others are dedicated to a particular genome or species that remains present today. Each painting reflects our presence in the universe and reaffirms that there are many mysterious and remarkable things to discover. Creating these planets has been a journey to capture the beauty of nature and elevate small moments that may otherwise go unseen. As they reside in the mire of a newly formed galaxy, they are truly a celebration of our world and life that may exist elsewhere and beyond.
About Laine Bachman:
Laine Bachman received her BFA in Painting from Columbus College of Art and Design in 1997. She transitioned from being a watercolour artist to mainly working with acrylic in 2008 to create larger bolder pieces, although her application techniques are still similar to painting with watercolour. Her work falls into the realm of magical realism, where many of her subjects are real, but there’s usually an element of myth or imagination, especially when it comes to the environment or world they are situated in.
In 2019, Bachman’s work was featured at ArtConnect, part of the 13th Havana Biennial. The Asheville Art Museum displayed Laine’s painting, ‘Night Bloomers’, in their New Contemporary exhibition in 2024, which featured established artists from all over the world. The Canton Museum of Fine Art in Ohio hosted Bachman’s solo exhibition, ‘Beyond Worlds’, in the summer of 2024, of which she had seventeen paintings on display.
About Bender Gallery:
Established in 2005, Bender Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery and Asheville’s first international art gallery. Bender Gallery specializes in abstract, figurative, pop, and surreal works by notable national and international artists. The artists represented by Bender Gallery are known for their originality and artistic perfection.
