“Quite frankly, it’s ugly,” a gallery hop guide says to a large group of observers.
This past week, The Marlborough Contemporary has welcomed a Red Grooms collection, curated by Dan Nadel, pulling in works from 1955 to 2018.
Three artists—Brian Fahlstrom, Meryl Smith, and Rosha Yaghmai—celebrated their opening reception at Marlborough Contemporary New York this past Tuesday evening.
Fahlstrom’s collection, “Truth in the Night,” portrays surreal landscapes ambiguously merged with depictions of human figures and architecture. The strange marriage of the subjects is reminiscent of Dante’s Divine Comedy, in its representation of fragments of reality, such as the human body and buildings, thrown into a dreamlike world. The swirling landscape and sky are envelopes the composition, threatening to swallow its subjects. Fahlstrom’s inclination for natural colors, sinuous strokes, and melting forms give a sort of hallucinatory/psychedelic effect, that is oddly serene.
Meryl Smith’s collection “Liminal Kingdom” is suggestive of Noah’s Arc; each canvas is dedicated to a pair or animals, ranging from herons to horses to alligators. Their elongated, twisting bodies emphasize the grace and athleticism of animals. The paintings’ subdued tones and symmetrical forms are evocative of the balance of Nature.
Rosha Yaghmai’s installation consists of wall-hanging works, Awnings; and freestanding sculptures, Optometers. Yaghmai often experiments with found materials, and Optometers are similarly constructed from found industrial conduit. These serpentine sculptures are decorated with eyeglass lenses and eyeshadow, reflecting her preoccupation with the medium and mechanisms of vision.
On view now till Dec 23rd.