The first U.S. solo show of acclaimed Chinese portraitist Mao Yan opens with this young man, Xiao Dai, staring up and out at us from a smoky grey environment with a confident look and defensive posture. Mao’s models are usually drawn from his circle of family and friends, but could this figure’s cautious gaze be a stand in for Mao’s own feelings on his debut? (At Pace Gallery’s 534 W. 25th Street location through April 4th).
Mao Yan, Xiao Dai, oil on canvas, 51 3/16 – 35 7/16,” 2013 – 2014.
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Merrily Kerr
Merrily Kerr is an art critic and writer based in New York. For more than 20 years, Merrily has published in international art magazines including Time Out New York, Art on Paper, Flash Art, Art Asia Pacific, Art Review, and Tema Celeste in addition to writing catalogue essays and guest lecturing. Merrily teaches art appreciation at Marymount Manhattan College and has taught for Cooper Union Continuing Education.
For more than a decade Merrily has crafted personalized tours of cultural discovery in New York's galleries and museums for individuals and groups, including corporate tours, collectors, artists, advertising agencies, and student groups from Texas Woman's University, Parsons School of Design, Chicago's Moody Institute, Cooper Union Continuing Education, Hunter College Continuing Education and other institutions. Merrily's tours have been featured in The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Sydney Morning Herald and Philadelphia Magazine.
Merrily is licensed by New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs as a tour guide and is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA USA)
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