Who are the stylized female figures in Deborah Druick’s paintings at Nino Mier Gallery? With their faces hidden behind a fan, a bird, hair or even painted out, Druick not only gives nothing away but drives home the women’s anonymity. At the same time, their abundant, characterful, wig-like swooshes of hair hint at a liveliness below the surface. Similarly, Druick’s abundant patterning of the women’s dress and their backgrounds flattens the figures, making them less life-like while also suggesting agency via bold fashion statements. The contradictions entice. (On view in Tribeca through March 22nd).
