At the Gagosian in NYC
MARY WEATHERFORD, Islands and Atolls, 2023, Flashe on linen, 79 x 93 inches (200.7 x 236.2 cm), © Mary Weatherford, Photo: Fredrik Nilsen Studio, Courtesy the artist and Gagosian
Buckle up, everyone, because Mary Weatherford is about to take you on a vibrant journey with her latest exhibition, “Sea and Space,” at the Gagosian Gallery in NYC. Her new paintings beckon us into green aquatic realms. Picture stepping into a lush, dreamy forest where each paint stroke has its own character. To us, Weatherford’s work encourages a playful state of exploration where you are encouraged to get lost in her work.
But the imaginative world doesn’t stop there. Her paintings not only abstractly represent the sea; they simultaneously mirror the cosmos. This reaching for the stars comes from a personal fascination Weatherford has with NASA photographs and stargazing – I mean, who can blame her? The result? The ocean and space meet on the canvas, creating an earthly yet interstellar conversation.
The creation of the paintings themselves was a process of encounters. Weatherford poured pale-toned paint onto still-wet areas of darker pigments, concocting a dance of hues and textures on the canvas. Leaving some of the process to the natural movement of the materials themselves.
On now until March 2nd, 2024 – so go see it NY <3
Words by Ella Paritsky
Images courtesy of the artist and Gagosian