 Lying Down, 2005 Oil on canvas, 18 x 23 cm Ridley Howard New Small Works Ridley Howard (born 1973 in Atlanta, GA, lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) presents 7 small paintings in his first solo show at Groeflin Maag Galerie. Howard depicts the strangely quiet moments of life in between events. People stare off into space, get lost in their own thoughts, and dream. His world is delicate and beautiful and at rest. As a viewer, it is easy to enter this space oneself, contemplating the subtle paint handling and luminosity of the surfaces. The psychology of his subjects is amplified through careful attention to details, lighting, and color. In "The L", a young man who has fallen asleep is somehow protected from the speed of the train and the ambiguity of its path by the cloudy blue seat and his royal blue t-shirt. A sense of floating is given to the subject, despite the harshness of his glass and metal environment. An urban environment is the backdrop for most of Howard's work. In "Summer Sublet", the skeletal silhouettes of huge cranes disrupt a pink and cream-colored city-view. The face of the woman looking out is obscured in her reflection. But her careful hair and dress reveal a presentation at odds with her seemingly wistful mental state. The ambiguity often present in Ridley Howard's work, acts as a way to enter into his world. The specificity of his environments is in contradiction with his daydreaming subjects who float through his urban settings and landscapes. Holly Coulis Ridley Howard is represented by Zach Feuer Gallery, New York, where he had his first solo show last year. This summer his work will be included in group shows at Gallery 4000 in Chicago and at Fredericks and Freiser, New York. Exhibition 13.4. - 13.5.2006 Gallery hours Tues-Fri 2 - 6 pm, Sat 2 - 5 pm and by appointment Groeflin Maag Galerie Oslo-Strasse 8 4023 Basel Telefon +41 (0)61 331 66 44 Fax +41 (0)61 331 66 45 Email galerie@groeflinmaag.com www.groeflinmaag.com |
 |