Lena Dunham has proved herself to be a woman of many talents: she is an award winning writer, actress, director, and journalist. Now she can add artist to that list, too.
Dunham, who shot to fame with the hit comedy-drama Girls, has painted a collection of watercolours that will go on display at the Red Truck Gallery in New Orleans as part of a group exhibition called “Xplodir”.
Dunham, 32, whose parents are contemporary artists Carroll Dunham and Laurie Simmons, first shared Instagram photos of her artwork in February with the caption: “I’m coming out of the closet as a passionate watercolour hobbyist, one whose favourite subjects are complicated women.” She listed Mariah Carey, Kay Kasparhauser, Mia Farrow, Kate Moss and New York painters Grace Hartigan, Helen Frankenthakrr as some of her “complicated” muses.
The New Yorker, who underwent an elective hysterectomy last year after a decade struggle with endometriosis, wrote under another Instagram post of the exhibition poster: “The focus of my practice is art as therapy, women who use the creative process as a means of survival, recovery, healing and growth.”
Red Truck's gallery director, Gabriel Shaffer, told artnet news: “I’m expecting people to be total dicks about this.”
Dunham, who has never shied away from contentious subjects, received a fierce public backlash last year for comments she made in defence of a man accused of sexual assault in 2017.
Shaffer dismissed any criticism, telling artnet confidently: “As far as I can tell, Lena Dunham has been an artist her entire life.”
“Xplodir” is on view at Red Truck Gallery, 940 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, May 3–10, 2019
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