Betsy Exhibitions

Aela Boyum Morgan was born in 1970 in Israel to young parents in what was then a “mixed marriage.” She  immigrated to New York at the age of eight and graduated from the United Nations International School in  1988 and the NYU Stern School of Business in 1992. She now lives and works in New York and Colorado. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

We all experience life through our own unique lenses. My journey of immigration, coupled with an insatiable curiosity, has exposed me to many different ways of life and philosophies. As I age, I understand more of the universal themes in our shared humanity – and that is what I paint. We hold certain truths to be self-evident. My truth is that I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve; I put it onto my canvases. Approaching a blank canvas triggers a process of exploration, turning the act of painting into a moving meditation through which a new chapter in my life emerges. I see this process as a dance between unfiltered emotions and my brushes. In my work, as in any Expressionist image, colors are intense and non-naturalistic; forms are distorted; brushwork is uninhibited; and the application of any medium – acrylic, inks, oils, pencils, pastel, or mixed – is generous, textured, layered, and complicated, reflecting a complex profile: woman, mother, wife, daughter, and ardent feminist. The feminist impulses in my works on display at Art Basel are unmistakable  

MASCULINE/FEMININE speaks to the truth of the Great Duality in each of us. We are all a mix of yin and yang. TAMED reframes the mythic “Rape of Europa,” the story immortalized in a painting by the Venetian artist Titian (ca. 1560–1562). In the myth, the god Zeus, in the form of a bull, entices Europa to climb onto his back. Once there, he rides into the sea and carries her to Crete, where he reveals his true identity. Here, the lady is in charge, having

tamed the bull. NERVE ENDINGS reflects a stinging truth: in 2024, it’s hard to believe we are still having the same conversation about inequality between the sexes. Really?UNDERSTORY underlines a primal truth: Mother Nature is mother’s nature. We all emerge from Her as the femi-nine births the masculine. SELF PORTRAIT reveals a moment of self-observation without judgment. ACTIVATED Don’t we all have those moments, those days, those periods in our lives when we simply can’t contain our energy? Times we actually vibrate? The original title of QUEEN BY NATURE was LACTATION, which underlines what should be obvious. “She” more than “he” feeds and powers existence. EVERY TOWN opens the door to a whole new conversation about the complex subject of female sexuality.

I hope everyone who sees my images at The Betsy Hotel enjoys my art for art’s sake, but also receives the embedded messages loud and clear. For me, art is clear.  For me, art is clearly embedded in he-art.          

If you’re interested in purchasing a piece please see the concierge, call 305-531-6100 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.

 All images used with permission of the artist.