Juror’s Comments
Amanda Morgan Assistant Curator, Exhibitions and Publications, Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
To state the obvious, the American South is expansive. By the definition of New American Paintings, it spreads from South Florida— where I am from and live today—north to Maryland and West Virginia and stretches past the Mississippi river as far west as Arkansas and Louisiana. Though a small sample, the selection of works in this issue begins to give a sense of the immeasurable array of experiences, perspectives, and creative practices that makes up the South. While, broadly speaking, the works can be characterized by the classic and perennial art historical genres of figuration and portraiture, landscape and interior scenes, as well as abstraction—though many of the works do not fit neatly into any one category—they evidence a sweeping range of aesthetic, material, and conceptual approaches. Although there is a wide variety of works featured, certain recurring themes and parallels can be spotted.
there may currently be a tendency for artists to react to and process our contemporary moment through this particular lens. Likely it is a
One striking feature of this selection is the looming presence of
combination of both.
nostalgia. Perhaps this is not surprising as it often feels like we are living in tumultuous times—going on three years of a worldwide
The powerful aura of nostalgia is particularly apparent in the works
pandemic that has yet to fully recede, deepening political discord,
depicting landscapes and interior spaces. Deb Koo creates expressive
a humanitarian emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, a global
and touching oil paintings of domestic scenes with a vintage hue. Koo’s
climate crisis, the continued struggle for equality and social justice,
Loveseat, a simple, desaturated detail of a floral couch with cushions
and, as I write, the outbreak of war in Ukraine, to name just a few
flattened and throw pillow askew from recent use, harkens to notions
issues that are impacting our lives and our collective consciousness
of grandmother’s house and familial connections. Anne Carney
today. Acknowledging that reviewing the works for this contest
Raines draws from the theater to create pastel-colored landscapes
is an unavoidably subjective process—one influenced by my own
of wistful worlds whose manifold layers entice and envelope the
sentiments, intellectual pursuits, and idiosyncrasies—a part of me
viewer. Combining images of rural highways—a symbol embedded
may have sought comfort, respite, and deeper understanding in the
in Americana—with geometric abstraction, Namwon Choi plays with
poignant images that this framework provides. At the same time,
time and distance to create a liminal space conducive to introspection.
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