Tag: solitary

Michelle Rawlings at Chapter NY

As a teen, Michelle Rawlings used to cut out and rearrange fashion spreads from magazines; her  untitled oil on linen canvases at Chapter NY in Tribeca operate on a similar scale (this painting is a mere 12 ½ inches high) and also channel the cool, distanced mood of fashion photography.  Here, she captures a different feeling of isolation as a softly sunlit young woman engages in a solitary activity.  Set against an intensely green gallery wall that emphasizes the glimpses of nature seen outside the window and accompanied by minimal collages of ribbon and ephemeral plant-related imagery, the paintings are mediations on how meaning is constructed.  (On view in Tribeca through Feb 5th. Masks and social distancing required.)

Michelle Rawlings, Untitled, oil on linen, 12 ½ x 10 x 1 ¼ inches, 2021.

Eleanor Swordy in ‘In Situ’ at Marianne Boesky Gallery

Inspired by a late 19th century story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in which the narrator’s confinement drives her into another reality, Marianne Boesky Gallery’s group show ‘In Situ’ zeroes in on lone individuals in personally meaningful moments.  Here, Eleanor Swordy’s curvy character unzips an alarming torrent from an alternative universe (or maybe just a tent flap) from within the cocoon of a sleeping bag.  (On view in Chelsea through Feb 6th).

Eleanor Swordy, Hard Rain, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 inches, 2020.

Nigel Cooke at pacegallery.com

After presenting paintings of lone figures at Pace Gallery’s new 25th Street headquarters in February of this year (a highlight of which is pictured here), British painter Nigel Cooke is back at pacegallery.com with new characters made while working in isolation.  Working at night has created an even more solitary environment for the artist from which he’s tried to capture how ‘perceptions are always changing when things are uncertain.’  Collectively titled ‘Midnights,’ each new work carries titles like ‘Shore,’ ‘Waiting’ or ‘Islands,’ that speak to the idea of a figure looking out to sea. (On view at pacegallery.com through June 2nd).

Nigel Cooke, Actaeon, oil and acrylic on linen, 88 9/16 x 64 9/16 inches, 2019.