Hannah Cole. Back to Earth

About

Cole is known for acutely observational paintings that depict concise fragments of her everyday surroundings. She has an uncanny ability to glean lyrical visual moments from otherwise mundane settings. Although her depictions of urban fixtures and studio debris approach hyperrealism in terms of rendering, there is a perceived emphasis on the abstract geometry defining the picture plane. Patterns and textures take center stage as context is cropped away and the ordinary transcends. 

“In all of my work, I’m interested in exploiting the tension between ‘observed’ and ‘abstract,’ and similarly, I enjoy playing with the expectation of reality by inventing where the viewer may not expect invention,” Cole explains, “My paintings are at once rooted in the unique experiences of my own life in Brooklyn, and in conversation with the larger history of American painting. I make every mark by hand, without shortcuts. This practice is one part meditation, one part Yankee work ethic.”

Cole’s most recent works push new ground by slicing through the surface. Meticulously hand-cut tyvek, paper, and canvas surfaces are layered and painted upon. Actual shadows are created and presented alongside painted shadows, furthering confusion between perception and reality. As a whole, the exhibition provides a portrait of the artist, challenging us to see what she herself sees, as she sees it.

“Despite the common things that inspire her, Cole’s works are very much her own, and anything but ordinary.”
– Evan J. Garza, New American Paintings

Hannah Cole is an American artist based in New York. Cole holds a MFA in painting from Boston University, a Post-Baccalaureate degree in painting from Brandeis University, and a BA in Art History from Yale University. Her work was shown recently at The Drawing Center and at Volta, Basel. Last year she had her first solo museum show at the University of Maine Museum of Art. She is currently working on an upcoming show for this fall at Boston University’s Sherman Gallery

The Lodge Gallery, founded by Keith Schweitzer and Jason Patrick Voegele, is located at 131 Chrystie Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It is the exhibition venue of Republic Worldwide and serves as both an art space and a gathering place for hearty discourse and experimentation.