The Beginning and the End: Hernan Bas at Lehmann Maupin in NYC.
Detail from Ubu Roi (The War March), 2009. (Photos by C-M.)
Is it the end of the world? Or the beginning? In Hernan Bas’s latest canvases, now on show at Lehmann Maupin, it is difficult to tell. Survivors of flamboyant costume parties emerge from fantastical cities that seem to rise and crumble in roiling landscapes that make you think, ‘The party’s over.’ Or is it? Think German-style surrealism meets Futurist sculpture meets the sweaty oppression of the Everglades — all on very large canvases. (My photos don’t do it justice.) There’s a lot to look at, and the more you stare, the less you know what the hell is going on. Overall, a damn interesting show.
The Dance of the Machine Gun and Other Forms of Unpopular Expression is up through July 10.
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