Tag: family

Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu at Jack Shainman Gallery

Young Nigerian artist Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu amazes with her photo realist style and the pleasure she takes in painting elements of Igbo tradition.  In this piece titled ‘Umunne (Siblings)’ at Jack Shainman Gallery on 24th Street, Chiamonwu depicts two of her siblings in a moment of peaceful unity as they pose together with closed eyes.  A cowry shell bracelet symbolizing prosperity and snail shells signifying abundance speak to the family’s cultural wealth.  (On view in Chelsea through Feb 19th.  Masks and social distancing required.)

Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu, Umunne (Siblings), charcoal, sepia, pastel and acrylic paints on canvas, 46 ½ x 46 inches, 2021.

Nathaniel Mary Quinn at Gagosian Gallery

Divisions both stark and subtle dominate Nathaniel Mary Quinn’s drawing ‘Double-Barreled Shotgun,’ a standout in his current show at Gagosian Gallery’s uptown location.  Prompted by a bad experience with a family member, this piece unites two figures only to show their differences.  Created with a technique that appears to be collage, yet is entirely hand drawn in charcoal, gouache and soft pastel on Coventry vellum paper, the work manifests invisible hurt in disfigured faces. (On view through Oct 30th).

Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Double-Barreled Shotgun, charcoal, gouache and soft pastel on Coventry vellum paper, 48 x 45 inches, 2021.

The Boyle Family at Luhring Augustine Gallery

In their first New York solo show in 40 years, the Boyle Family (father Robert Boyle, mother Joan Hills and their adult children Sebastian and Georgia Boyle) considers relationships between humans and the environment with wall mounted mini-landscapes.  Meticulous recreations of sites chosen at random, each ‘earthprobe’ is a recreation of a segment of the earth’s surface in an urban or rural area.  How to interpret these slices of mediated reality?  The Boyles explain that they want to consider whether it’s possible to look at the earth and not think of ‘myths and legends, art of the past or present, art and myths of other cultures.’ Thankfully, it seems it is not, as each will prompt historical connections and personal memories. (On view at Luhring Augustine in Chelsea through April 24th).

The Boyle Family, Kerb Study with Filled in Basement Lights and Cobbles, Westminster Series, mixed media, resin, fiberglass, C 66 x 66 inches, 1987

Gerald Lovell at PPOW Gallery

Gerald Lovell’s grandmother’s photo albums were a key inspiration in the young Atlanta painter’s motivation to create portraits of family and friends.  Calling such source photos of family and person history ‘saving moments,’ Lovell sets out to make depoliticized, ‘honest depictions of the people I’m around.’ (On view at PPOW Gallery’s new Tribeca location through Feb 20th.  Masks and social distancing are required).

Gerald Lovell, Quil, oil on wood, 48 x 36 inches, 2020.

Tajh Rust in ‘Vernacular Interior’ at Hales Gallery

Tajh Rust’s portrait of a mom and her daughter embracing on the kitchen floor has a counterpart in a second family picture in which the mother meets our gaze while cradling her child’s head.  The comparison reveals how easy it is to make eye contact with the child vs her assured mother as they occupy private space in a tender moment.  Nevertheless, the girl’s eye becomes the focal point of the painting, highlighting the power of her keen observation.  (On view in ‘Vernacular Interior’ at Hales Gallery in Chelsea through July 20th).

Tajh Rust, Idowu I, oil on PVC, 182.9 x 121.9 cm, 2019.