“Mernet Larsen”
at James Cohan Gallery
through January 23, 2021
What the gallery says: “For over six decades, Mernet Larsen has created narrative paintings depicting hard-edged, enigmatic characters that inhabit an uncanny parallel world filled with tension and wry humor. Larsen employs various spatial systems that often contradict: combining reverse, isometric, and conventional perspectives, she casts everyday scenarios into a vertigo-inducing version of reality akin to our own.”
Why it’s worth a look: In the topsy-turvy vortex Larsen composes, the constructivist themes of El Lissitzky are pushed to an almost farcical level. In mixed-up narratives, cartoon-like characters, all hard edges and angled features, populate a world of bisecting planes and surreal situations. Every straight line, from the spokes of a wheelchair to a sidewalk crack create individual paths that traverse the canvas. Stems of flowers, stems of wineglasses, scissor blades, all are points of departure in a world turned upside down.
What it looks like:
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937371" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/f97044569fb8b47395a05a5be86a081f-1024×998.jpeg" alt=" Mernet Larsen,
Solar System, Explained (after El Lissitzky), (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”1024″ height=”998″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/f97044569fb8b47395a05a5be86a081f-1024×998.jpeg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/f97044569fb8b47395a05a5be86a081f-300×293.jpeg 300w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/f97044569fb8b47395a05a5be86a081f-32×32.jpeg 32w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/f97044569fb8b47395a05a5be86a081f-50×50.jpeg 50w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>
Mernet Larsen, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937579" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/a6ce9b99bb20c1caf32000998ee8c46b-1-1024×683.jpeg" alt=" Mernet Larsen,
Solar System, Explained (after El Lissitzky), [detail] (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”1024″ height=”683″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/a6ce9b99bb20c1caf32000998ee8c46b-1-1024×683.jpeg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/a6ce9b99bb20c1caf32000998ee8c46b-1-300×200.jpeg 300w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/a6ce9b99bb20c1caf32000998ee8c46b-1-50×33.jpeg 50w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>
Mernet Larsen, [detail] (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937378" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/after-982×1024.jpeg" alt="Mernet Larsen,
Astronaut: Sunrise (after El Lissitzky), (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”982″ height=”1024″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/after-982×1024.jpeg 982w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/after-288×300.jpeg 288w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/after-32×32.jpeg 32w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/after-48×50.jpeg 48w” sizes=”(max-width: 982px) 100vw, 982px”>
Mernet Larsen, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937375" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/23-980×1024.jpeg" alt="Mernet Larsen,
Astronauts: Sunset (after El Lissitzky), (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”980″ height=”1024″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/23-980×1024.jpeg 980w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/23-287×300.jpeg 287w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/23-32×32.jpeg 32w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/23-48×50.jpeg 48w” sizes=”(max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px”>
Mernet Larsen, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937380" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/43-683×1024.jpeg" alt=" Mernet Larsen,
Beach (after El Lissitzky), (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”683″ height=”1024″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/43-683×1024.jpeg 683w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/43-200×300.jpeg 200w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/43-33×50.jpeg 33w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/43-1280×1920.jpeg 1280w” sizes=”(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px”>
Mernet Larsen, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937379" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/34-1024×683.jpeg" alt="Mernet Larsen,
Gurney (after El Lissitzky), (2019). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”1024″ height=”683″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/34-1024×683.jpeg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/34-300×200.jpeg 300w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/34-50×33.jpeg 50w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>
Mernet Larsen, (2019). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
Mernet Larsen, (2019). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937376" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/2-1024×791.jpeg" alt="Mernet Larsen,
Intersection (after El Lissitzky), (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”1024″ height=”791″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/2-1024×791.jpeg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/2-300×232.jpeg 300w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/2-50×39.jpeg 50w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>
Mernet Larsen, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937377" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/9b22a90fa0b5886796a43f9137bad821-1-828×1024.jpeg" alt="Mernet Larsen,
Deliverance (after El Lissitzky), (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”828″ height=”1024″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/9b22a90fa0b5886796a43f9137bad821-1-828×1024.jpeg 828w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/9b22a90fa0b5886796a43f9137bad821-1-243×300.jpeg 243w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/9b22a90fa0b5886796a43f9137bad821-1-40×50.jpeg 40w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/9b22a90fa0b5886796a43f9137bad821-1.jpeg 1456w” sizes=”(max-width: 828px) 100vw, 828px”>
Mernet Larsen, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937381" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/spy-993×1024.jpeg" alt=" Mernet Larsen,
Spy (after El Lissitzky), (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”993″ height=”1024″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/spy-993×1024.jpeg 993w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/spy-291×300.jpeg 291w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/spy-32×32.jpeg 32w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/spy-48×50.jpeg 48w” sizes=”(max-width: 993px) 100vw, 993px”>
Mernet Larsen, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
<img class="size-large wp-image-1937578" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/6afb96c18b50b6636489800ae0c65be6-1-1024×896.jpeg" alt=" Mernet Larsen,
Dawn (after El Lissitzky), (2012). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.” width=”1024″ height=”896″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/6afb96c18b50b6636489800ae0c65be6-1-1024×896.jpeg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/6afb96c18b50b6636489800ae0c65be6-1-300×263.jpeg 300w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/6afb96c18b50b6636489800ae0c65be6-1-50×44.jpeg 50w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>
Mernet Larsen, (2012). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.
Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com
