“Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose” Exhibition

Jack Hanley

[Image: Ann Craven "Flowers, Feb 9, 2010 (Guilford), 2010" (2010) Oil on canvas 36 x 30 in.]

This event has ended.

Curated by Nikki Maloof and Louis Fratino

Sarah Bedford, Holly Coulis, Ann Craven, Ralph Delia, Lois Dodd, Daniel Gordon, Jenna Gribbon,
Anthony Iacono, Hein Koh, John McAllister, Emily Mullin, Shota Nakamura, Danielle Orchard, Sally Saul, Allison Schulnik,
Michael Stamm, Tim Wilson

“Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.
Loveliness extreme.
Extra gaiters.
Loveliness extreme.
Sweetest ice-cream.“

- Sacred Emily, Getrude Stein

A flower is a promise of a moment free of cynicism, a flower is a flower is a symbol of comfort. It doesn’t ask for much, doesn’t demand explanation. Just a little water. Some painters need relief from unanswerable questions. Herein lies the thorn. By painting a flower, do we free ourselves from the demand for answers? Is it an act of distancing oneself from the world? Maybe painting something you truly care about is a way to be close to and a part of the world. Flowers ask many small questions. Flowers are amazing and flowers are for everyone.

We wanted to make a show about this perennial subject. Painting a flower is both revelatory and embarrassing. That a common object can speak to concerns and themes beyond its simple appearance–complex themes like love, death, rebirth, and purity–belies that object’s commonness. Why are we embarrassed to paint flowers, and yet give in to the desire to do so again and again? Maybe what is embarrassing is, in this case, right. Flowers are not too tender, too lovely, too beautiful, and neither is the world. At times, we need to celebrate what is good. Painting is about the senses–surely we have good enough sense to paint about what feels, looks, smells, and tastes good?

- Nikki Maloof and Louis Fratino