Helen Marden “Tivoli”

Gagosian Gallery Madison Avenue

[Image: Helen Marden’s studio, Tivoli, New York (2019) Artwork © Helen Marden. Photo: Rob McKeever]

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Gagosian presents Tivoli, an exhibition of new paintings by Helen Marden.

Marden’s paintings are characterized by vibrant colors, layered by the artist directly onto the canvas. Teeming with raw expression, her explorations of space, color, edge, and object exemplify how forms can represent experiences and emotions while tapping into the life force in nature itself.

Although the exhibition is titled after the upstate village where Marden spends much of her time, New York City and Marrakech, Morocco, are equal catalysts for the forms and media in her paintings. Offering an immersive look at Marden’s compositions, the exhibition includes more than twenty paintings, all from 2018. Raw powdered pigments are mixed into resin, which Marden pours with both intensity and control. While the resin hardens, Marden augments the compositions with acrylic paint and more unconventional materials such as seashells, beads, and plastic. The organic qualities of the paintings are enhanced by the use of bright neon hues, translating the grit of postwar abstraction into the techno-exuberance of today.

In Marden’s hands, paint, resin, and objects intertwine, revealing her conviction that painting can capture pure, condensed energy.