Pattern and color are the last words in Roxa Smith’s lively paintings of imaginary interiors at C24 Gallery in Chelsea. Smith, who grew up in Venezuela and moved to New York in the 90s, explains that as a child, family trips exposed her to colonial towns and indigenous and folk art that have influenced her current aesthetic. Already drawn to interiors, she became devoted to the subject after visiting an exhibition of Matisse’s painting at the National Gallery in Washington DC. Uplifting, lively and engaging, Smith’s paintings offer a moment of pure pleasure. (On view in Chelsea through March 11th.)
Tag: C24 Gallery
Brian Tolle at C24 Gallery
Levittown – a post WWII house development of 17,500 homes on Long Island seen from an aerial view on the gallery wall – has become synonymous with the crushing conformity of the suburbs. Brian Tolle’s carefully researched replica of the Levittown Cape Cod style house is realized in platinum silicon rubber and rests on a beanbag, armchair, kids toys and other typical items from American homes. In the gallery, Tolle’s deflated forms suggesting the melting away of past attitudes and lifestyles. (On view at C24 Gallery in Chelsea through Feb 27th).