Inspired by a multitude of sources from Dali to Disney, Inka Essenhigh continues to craft fantastical scenarios as intriguing as they are bizarre. Here, a curvy female figure (seemingly crafted from a single orange/green material from her hair to her off-kilter shoes) primps in front of a shattered mirror that reflects a monster-like apparition. Are we seeing reality? Will she continue to transform before our eyes? Essenhigh’s rich stories leave us wanting more. (On view at Miles McEnery Gallery on 22nd Street in Chelsea through Nov 14th).
Inka Essenhigh, Forever Young, enamel on canvas, 60 x 42 inches, 2020.
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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