1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair BOOTH B-09 Pioneer Works. 159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 Richard Taittinger Gallery is proud to present a solo booth of new works by South African artist Frances Goodman at the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair. VIP opening reception on Thursday May 5th.  Working with objects commonly associated with female identity, such as acrylic nails, false eyelashes, and jewelry, Goodman explores how beauty regimes and perfectionism creates obsession and neuroses. Her humorously dark sculptures and installations suggest how self-conscious anxieties play a disproportionate role in governing women’s lives. In her examination of beauty conventions, marriage traditions, and common material possessions, Goodman reveals both the self-imposed and external pressures to conform to societal expectation. Her works rebel against the influence of the male gaze and a media-obsessed, mainstream culture. Meanwhile their glossy, sensual surfaces capture the underlying libidinal energy that motivates consumption, from a gleaming car hood to a metallic nail polish sheen. Her work is included in several major international collections, including Sindika Dokolo Collection, Angola; Smithsonian Institution, USA; 21c Museum, USA; Francis J. Greenburger Collection, USA;  UNISA, South Africa.