ADAM'S LARGEST EVER COLLECTION OF GHOST WORKS
19th November, 2021 (Shoreditch, London) — D’Stassi Art is pleased to present Ghosts, a solo exhibition of New York-based artist Adam Handler’s signature ghost paintings. The exhibition brings together Handler’s arsenal of iconic phantom characters alongside new faces to address his recurring interest in mortality and how to cope with fearing loss. Coming together to depict a brilliantly saturated universe, these paintings collectively and kindly offer a whimsical mediation on the transience of life.
Ghosts will be on view from November 19th to December 5th, 2021, with an opening reception on November 19th at 7 PM. RSVP at info@dstassiart.com. Ghosts unfolds through the gallery under a soft installation of clouds that echo the otherworldliness of Handler’s works on display. Visitors are surrounded by 40+ monumental, yet distinctly not intimidating, paintings which feature new and familiar characters. Composed with the multi-colored acrylic paints and oil sticks that are characteristic to the artist’s uniquely vibrant universe, these works evolved out of earlier series of friendly wide-eyed ghosts and abstract girls. For this exhibition, his images of ghosts are introduced to new monsters and explore boldly hued backdrops of starbursts, UFO’s, rain, polkadots, drips of paint, and wild flora. In these new works, Handler pushes the emotions of his figures both metaphorically and physically. Whether standing alone or paired with companions, as in ‘Magnolia Ghost Buddies’ (2021), these warmly nostalgic figures have evolved to speak to communities and individuals caught in the midst of uncertain times. Recent works such as “With you ghost” and “Your are the best Ghost” (2021) introduce text as an access point for dialogue and comfort, showing remarkable bravery and resilience in the phase of the unknown. Cheekily depicted wolves and monsters, pineapples, rain showers, galaxies, and brightly accessorized girls all come together in sweeping gestural marks of oilstick.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Handler’s exposure to painting first began during childhood in his grandparent’s framing factory, a period of his life defined by an innocence and familiarity that he seeks to connect with in his practice. With his first London solo exhibition, he further explores the youthful sensibility and simplicity that defines his work. Using oilstick render imaginative, accessible figures inspired by personal experiences, Handler’s medium of choice allows for a direct, embodied relationship to his subject matter that honors the autobiographical nature of his practice. Handler seeks out a tension between the shadows of death and the vivacity of his aesthetic, a binary that allows him to provide his viewers with alternative ways of processing life and fate.
As the reality of destiny and its unpredictability renders itself more visible, Handler’s works have become more complex, relatable, and dystopian than their earlier counterparts. Braving this turbulence are the pastel landscapes of his UFO Ghost Abduction series. The imposing, deeply opaque beams stand in stark contrast to Handler’s typical mark making, shooting out of the suspended objects and enveloping the still blissful ghosts. Dealing with the more timely than ever concept of displacement and taking on a spiritual quality, the series proposes surrendering to the inevitable as a framework for accessing peace. Across his canvases, Handler comes to terms with the psychological and physical consequences of our unpredictable modern world. Through his unique lens on the laws of nature and life’s stark truths, Handler creates a surprising connection between the dauntingly unknown and the comfortingly familiar, inviting his viewer to consider alternate realities.
