Quentin James McCaffrey’s surreal depictions of eerily still spaces-within-spaces at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery are restricted to canvases barely a foot high, requiring viewers to get close to each painting as if peering into a portal on the wall. Inspired by Rene Magritte’s ‘Empire of Light’ paintings – which juxtapose blue, daytime skies with night-darkened foregrounds – viewers encounter mirrors that do not reflect and interiors that abruptly give way to scenic vistas. The effect is of enchanting strangeness made richer here by a draped rug that hints at hidden opulence. (On view in Tribeca through April 18th).
