Martine Johanna: Balancing Act
Massey Klein Gallery is pleased to announce Balancing Act, a solo exhibition of new paintings and drawings by Martine Johanna that continue the artist’s exploration of the female psyche. The paintings and drawings in the exhibition depict Johanna’s women in uncanny situations that draw attention to the subjects’ internal landscapes. This is the artist’s second solo with the gallery.
The works in Balancing Act are vibrant and unsettled. Her heroines visibly grapple with the weight and tension of the expectations that society has placed on them. The figures’ internal dilemmas, made visible through concentrated facial expressions and calculated postures, spill into their surroundings, manifesting in rainbows, fractured and hemorrhaging color fields, and even levitating objects.
The artist’s focus on the interior thoughts and struggles of her subjects are depicted here through the relationship between the figure and interior setting and objects. One subject poses with a bowling ball on her head; in another, she uses her powerful gaze to suspend the object. Johanna pays special attention to commonplace domestic items. In Composure and Control, an intricate rug grounds the figure, while the background becomes fractured and ambiguous. In Critical Thinking, Release, and The Floor Is Lava, the figures are positioned confidently in and on chairs, suggesting leverage and power. Her subjects crowd their surroundings, flattening the pictorial space while conjuring feelings of urgency and immediacy.
Martine Johanna lives and works in The Netherlands. The artist received her BA and MA from the Institute of the Arts, Arnhelm, the Netherlands. Johanna has had international success exhibiting extensively in the Netherlands and abroad. Inspiration for her work include a mixture of childhood and autobiographical memories and experiences, documentaries on human nature, independent films, and history.
Balancing Act will be on view from Friday, September 11th until Saturday, October 24th.
For additional information regarding the exhibition, including works available, please email info@masseyklein.com. Massey Klein Gallery is located at 124 Forsyth St. New York, NY 10002. Gallery hours are by appointment only. To book an appointment, please visit our scheduling assistant here or call +1.917.261.4657.
For additional information regarding the exhibition, including works available, please email info@masseyklein.com. Massey Klein Gallery is located at 124 Forsyth St. New York, NY 10002. Gallery hours are by appointment only. To book an appointment, please visit our scheduling assistant here.
For press inquiries or questions about works available, please contact info@masseyklein.com or call +1.917.261.4657.
