signs and symbols

Bouquets at 89 Greene
Rachael Catharine Anderson

March 30 - April 29, 2023

Opening Reception:
March 30, 2023
6:00-8:00pm

signs and symbols* is delighted to host Rachael Catharine Anderson’s first solo presentation in New York: Bouquets, at 89 Greene, the project space of signs and symbols curated by Kathy Battista. Continuing the series of minimal, yet impactful shows, the exhibition consists of just two paintings, both focused on the theme of still life and nature. This is Anderson’s first solo exhibition in New York.

Anderson is an emerging artist who grew up on a flower farm in Ohio where she was conditioned to the subtle changes in the environment and the cycles of life. Her interest in the biosphere, through flora and fauna, is evident in exquisite paintings that are produced slowly over time. Anderson paints the light at different times of day, resulting in scenes that defy time and often suggest infinite space. Her surfaces are technically masterful and recall the soft drama of Old Master paintings. Inspired by artists as diverse as Martin Johnson Heade and Paul Cezanne, as well as the tradition of Italian fresco painting, Anderson draws on techniques and themes found throughout art history to paint both still life and figurative works. She is equally conversant with contemporary popular icons such as Bjork, whose music Anderson describes as the soundtrack to her painting practice.

Red Branches (2023) is a large painting that anchors the exhibition. In this exquisite oil work, the titular scattered branches painted in an intense hue that surpasses nature, share the space with dead leaves as well as cut lilies in clear vessels. Drawing on the theme of the unswept floor in Roman paintings, Anderson creates an assemblage of objects on a greyish color floor. She creates her own garden, one that is not cultivated but rather understood from various viewpoints and over time. The painting represents the artist’s interest in the ordinary, overlooked, or discarded objects that we often fail to consider. Her research into object-oriented ontology, which purports that objects exist independently of human perception, but are intrinsically linked to ecology and the future of our planet, is also evident here.  

Looking Glass (2023) functions as a companion piece and is dedicated to similar themes. The composition is centered on a framed standing mirror with a white and red branch hovering in front set against a rich green background. The red branch connects it to Red Branches (2023) and sets up a dialogue between the organic and manmade worlds. The mirror, suggesting the warping of time and space as seen through literary references including Lewis Carol’s iconic Alice in Wonderland, also hints at a childish sense of wonderment, even in banal objects. This work, and the larger painting, are indicative of Anderson’s approach to seeing the world through a more speculative lens.

*Please note that all 89 Greene exhibitions are on view at the gallery’s location at 249 East Houston Street; the name of the project is only in reference to Jack Smith's historic address.

rachael catharine anderson (b. Columbus, Ohio) is a 2022 MFA graduate from the Painting and Printmaking program in the Yale School of Art. She makes oil paintings that explore the aesthetic dimension between human and otherworldly interactions. Her work displays elements of enchantment and the surrealist dreamscape that follows in the legacy of artists such as Agnes Pelton, Leonora Carrington and Leonor Fini. She focuses on the uncertainty, wonder and fascination that ecology and cycles of growth and decay inspire. In the fall of 2023, Anderson will have a solo exhibition at signs and symbols. Her work has previously been shown in Milan and the US including Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in New York. Her paintings are also included in major private collections in the US and Europe. She currently lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut.