KEVIN CHRISTY
GHOST LADDER
March 16–April 20, 2024
OPENING: Saturday, March 16th, from 6–8pm
86 Walker St, TribecaThe Hole is pleased to present Ghost Ladder, Kevin Christy’s second solo show with the gallery.
With nineteen new oil paintings, Christy explores the human response to loss and the fleeting moments that often hold more meaning than we know. His compositions tell stories of action frozen in time with a healthy dose of wit and skepticism. Journalistic and reflective, they depict surrealist musings, haunting and humorous points of view and half-realized dreams of what could be.
"The images in the show represent a kind of visual time capsule of a moment not yet understood, but that I think will be looked back at as the tipping point before a fundamental shift in most of what we think of as normal. But in the meantime most of society is still trying to grab hold of a ladder that’s not there. A “Ghost Ladder” essentially."
Exploring visual memory is a continuation of a yearslong practice for Christy: the absurdity of existence in our crumbling system, a societal decline. "Every form of information is harmful if you want to use it that way. The Truth is harmful. Lies are harmful. There are no parameters anymore. Everyone I know is freaked out. It's not even a specific age group.”
While we all freak out, Christy seems sure. With his background as an actor and standup comedian he's got his lines down—or in this case, paintings. Each piece is succinct, both the direct one-liners and the more meandering story lines. The exhibition, too, has a beautifully clear and nuanced plot with the gallery set gladly in the 80s with shiny silver frames and pink walls. In Out of Town and A Room Full of Elephants we see the gleam of Ziggy Stardust and 80s album cover graphics across the canvas, the slight haze of iconic early Interview Magazine covers. A visual nostalgia accessible to those who weren't even there.
Kevin Christy (b. 1977) is a Los Angeles-based fine artist whose work has been exhibited at galleries in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles as well as Europe. He debuted at The Hole in 2021 with his New York solo Memories Are Weapons. Captivated by drawing from a young age, Christy refined his art practice at Pasadena Art Center College of Design. Christy is most well-known for his professional roles as an actor and stand-up comedian, two endeavors interwoven with his career as an artist. Christy’s work has been featured in publications such as The Atlantic, McSweeney’s, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Nylon and has an extensive interview with Ed Templeton in this month’s Juxtapoz. In addition to his media features, Christy has published an artist book under Cederteg Publishing titled, “Who’s Laughing Now.”
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