Alexandra Eastburn

Progenitrix

July 5th - August 17th

Pond is pleased to announce Progenitrix, a solo exhibition of Arkansas-born, Memphis-based artist Alexandra Eastburn. Consisting of large, inked scrolls and small watercolors on logarithmic paper, this commanding body of work envelopes the viewer in a hallucinatory landscape of morphing figures, creatures, and architectures whose narrative framework is archaic feminine genesis.

Eastburn sources dreams for insight into her subconscious. The overtones of Eastburn’s world are joyfully sensual, while its undertones are nightmarish and carnivalesque. Her imagery rapidly metamorphizes; hellscapes of sharp-toothed beasts with bulging eyes coalesce into star-crossed lovers embracing ecstatically. Having been a fixture of the Memphis garage and punk scene for nearly two decades, Eastburn’s world rotates erratically to fast-tempo songs of love and longing. 

With a playful yet authoritative bite, Eastburn’s work channels Nancy Spero, the Art Brut (think Aloïse Corbaz), predynastic Egyptian painting, and automatic drawing. Eastburn delivers personal lore colored by origin myths from our expansive human history, placing the “progenitrix,” or foremother, at the center. 

Alexandra Eastburn (b.1987) was born and raised in Hot Springs, AR, whose forests, mountains, quartz crystals, flowing waters, and historical architecture deeply impacted the artist. In 2006, she moved to Memphis, TN, where she received her BFA in Drawing and Art History from Memphis College of Art. Today, Eastburn’s practice contains many intersections, from botanical watercolors to ink drawings and paintings that capture the shapeshifting quality of dreams. Alongside her practice, Eastburn designs hand-painted apparel and album covers for musicians.Eastburn has participated in solo and group shows in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. She currently lives and works in Memphis, TN.