Justine Neuberger: Static from the Angelic Waveband
Hales is delighted to announce Static from the Angelic Waveband a solo exhibition of new paintings by New York based artist Justine Neuberger (b.1993 Brooklyn, NY), in partnership with 15 Orient.
Neuberger paints scenes which ebb and flow between distinct representations of figures, objects and ambient fields of color, creating a space for narrative possibility. Clusters of people emerge from hazy backgrounds, creating a dreamscape for interactions which slowly reveal themselves. Thinking about history as non-linear, there are a constellation of events in the works where history, memory and imagination coexist in a liminal space. Her approach to painting is philosophical, the medium itself becomes a physical representation of a metaphor for being in the world — ‘a way of knowing by touching, looking, measuring and responding.’
The title of the show Static from the Angelic Waveband is a playful reference to communication with angels, a feeling of connection, a headspace and the spirituality of painting. In these works, Neuberger portrays children as angels, a painterly subject depicted in the Renaissance. Following traditional techniques of the Renaissance, her work also deeply connects to the period’s integration of music, art and sciences. Neuberger’s practice continues these themes like a branch splintering from the Renaissance to the present moment. Drawing upon multiple references in her paintings, in Long Vowels (2024) she nods to the head dress in the medieval artwork Santa Trinita Maestà by Cimabue.
In Neuberger’s paintings, colors and tones shade gradually into one another, she builds up ‘sfumato’ – thin dark layers and scumbled thicker light layers. Each painting is rooted in drawing, often selectively leaving her drawing and thought process visible in the work. Applying color over gray, ‘grisaille,’ allows color to be ephemeral whereas the drawing provides grounding. Her use of color creates particular moods — in this body of works she paints gentle harmonies which have a sense of energy and playfulness. In establishing two initial tones as a starting point, she builds up multiple layers to create tension, movement and a shimmering surface. Neuberger allows for ambiguity in her paintings which creates an entry point for narrative interpretation.
Neuberger received her BA in Studio Art and Art History at Oberlin College, OH in 2015 and her MA in TESOL in 2019. Recent solo exhibitions include: Riddles for Storytellers, Clima, Milan (2023); Blue Paintings, 15 Orient, New York (2022); Firmament of Time, Clima, Milan (2021); The Green World, 15 Orient, New York (2019).
Neuberger’s work has been featured in numerous recent group exhibitions including: Short- term pleasure, Long-term pain, Public Gallery, London, UK (2023); Le Biscuit a Soupe, High Art, Arles; a somewhat thin line, In Lieu, Los Angeles; Apple in the Dark, Harkawik, New York; Emotional Intelligence, Polina Berlin Gallery, New York (2022); Visual Unpredictability, Patrick Parrish Gallery, New York; Uno, Nessuno, Centomila at Pallazo Capris, Turin; The Frog Show, Real Pain, New York; Free Fall, Shoot the Lobster, Los Angeles (2021); Monster, curated by Liam Considine, Svetlana, New York; Night Shift, 17 Essex Gallery, New York (2020).