Emily Kiacz | The Shape of Light
Morgan Lehman Gallery
Jan. 28, 2024 - Mar. 6, 2021
Kiacz began the body of work on display during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent citywide lockdown. While under enforced isolation and no longer able to spend regular time outdoors (where she often looks for inspiration and makes small studies that serve as raw material for her canvases), the artist found herself rethinking her studio process from the ground up. Kiacz, rather than looking outwards towards the landscape, began looking inwards towards personal memories and her imagination for clues as to how to move forward with her paintings. The artist also began looking upwards towards the sky, which was visible through her studio window, and where in dramatic sunsets she recognized a range of emotions including serenity, hope, wonder, foreboding, and the anxiety of the moment.