Typically, Fiona Rae’s ambiguous painted forms suggest real-world objects but elude identification. Further complicating the work, both gestural and geometric abstraction appear on the same canvas, a surprising combination geared to upend our expectations. Her latest work at Miles McEnery Gallery distills these artistic strategies into paintings featuring distinctly formed clusters of organic and geometric shapes set against a spare white background. Titles reveal that each grouping is a word from a phrase taken from a written source, from pop music to Shakespeare. This airy assemblage reads, ‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe,’ a line from the movie Bladerunner expounding on futuristic technological marvels. (On view in Chelsea through Nov 26th).
