Anton Kern Gallery
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Artists
  • Exhibitions
  • WINDOW
  • Fairs
  • News
  • Store
  • Info
Cart
0 items $
Checkout

Item added to cart

View cart & checkout
Continue shopping
Menu

SQUARE ONE: Julie Curtiss at 198 Allen Street, New York, NY, 10002

Past exhibition
October 20 - 31, 2020
  • Overview
  • Installation Views
  • Works
  • Press
  • Publications
Overview
Julie Curtiss Last Embrace, 2020 Self-hardening clay, resin, wax, ceramic 10 x 7 x 5 1/2 in (25.4 x 17.8 x 14 cm)
Julie Curtiss
Last Embrace, 2020
Self-hardening clay, resin, wax, ceramic
10 x 7 x 5 1/2 in
(25.4 x 17.8 x 14 cm)

In lieu of a long-planned solo booth at FIAC this year, Anton Kern Gallery is pleased to present Julie Curtiss: Square One, a reconceived exhibition on view to the public from October 20 - October 31. In a year of extraordinary challenges, the title echoes the global reset we are all faced with--the simultaneous idea of regression, coupled with the promise for a fresh start. What was supposed to be a Parisian homecoming for Curtiss is instead a tribute to the city that has been her home for a decade; a celebration of our ability to still enjoy art in person; and a thoughtful, almost prescient observation on the current state of the world.

 

 The exhibition consists of seven paintings, six drawings, and two sculptures. Curtiss’ work often deals with duality and the way opposing forces can be complementary. The works in Square One weave together narratives around ideas of privacy and display, light and shadow. In one painting, a cropped female figure enjoys a glass of wine; look a little longer and you’ll notice her open legs under the table, revealing something slightly indiscreet to the viewer. In others: two young clonelike women are seen from the back taking selfies; a woman gets her hair done in a salon--but the shadowy silhouettes peering through the mirror invoke enigmatic, perhaps even sinister, circumstances.

 

 The series of gouaches belong to a new body of work in which Curtiss has eliminated color, using only black and white to create quirky, playful, and strange images. Flesh, hair, muscles, and fur are freely substituted for one another, blurring lines and boundaries, and existing in ambiguous spaces where black and white fuse to create shades of gray and mystery. In one of her sculptures, Curtiss has explored a combination of both handmade and readymade objects. Last Embrace features two fish tails jutting out of a bowl of ramen, and was made during a residency in Tokyo last year. The journey explored throughout the works is one of competition between forces, but ultimately a resolution and embrace of them, resulting in a bemused look at our shared humanity. As the artist playfully notes regarding the sculpture: “Aren’t we all in the same soup?” 

 

The exhibition will be open every day from 10am-6pm, and will be accompanied by a catalogue.

Download Press Release
List of Works
Installation Views
  • Julie's exhibition downtown at 198 Allen Street. Initially conceived as a solo booth at FIAC.
  • Julie's exhibition downtown at 198 Allen Street. Initially conceived as a solo booth at FIAC. This view mainly features Curtiss' sculptural work Vis-a-Vis alongside the other works in the show.
  • Julie's exhibition downtown at 198 Allen Street. Initially conceived as a solo booth at FIAC. Three paintings and one sculpture shown.
  • Julie's exhibition downtown at 198 Allen Street. Initially conceived as a solo booth at FIAC. Close up of Julie's "Last Embrace," a sculpted bowl of ramen.
  • Julie's exhibition downtown at 198 Allen Street. Initially conceived as a solo booth at FIAC. Large painting titled La Machine alongside smaller works.
  • Julie's exhibition downtown at 198 Allen Street. Initially conceived as a solo booth at FIAC. View of many of the works in the show.
  • Julie's exhibition downtown at 198 Allen Street. Initially conceived as a solo booth at FIAC. Many works shown, both sculptural and painted.
  • Julie's exhibition downtown at 198 Allen Street. Initially conceived as a solo booth at FIAC. Showcasing the sculpture vis-a-vis. Other works included.
Works
  • Julie Curtiss Drain, 2020
    Julie Curtiss
    Drain, 2020
  • Julie Curtiss Last Embrace, 2020
    Julie Curtiss
    Last Embrace, 2020
  • Julie Curtiss Vis-à-vis, 2020
    Julie Curtiss
    Vis-à-vis, 2020
  • Julie Curtiss Uppercut, 2020
    Julie Curtiss
    Uppercut, 2020
  • Julie Curtiss Tendon Crush, 2019
    Julie Curtiss
    Tendon Crush, 2019
  • Julie Curtiss Saying Grace, 2019
    Julie Curtiss
    Saying Grace, 2019
  • Julie Curtiss La Machine, 2020
    Julie Curtiss
    La Machine, 2020
  • Julie Curtiss Dew, 2020
    Julie Curtiss
    Dew, 2020
  • Julie Curtiss Self-portrait in Autarky, 2019
    Julie Curtiss
    Self-portrait in Autarky, 2019
  • Julie Curtiss Fuzzy Heel, 2019
    Julie Curtiss
    Fuzzy Heel, 2019
  • Julie Curtiss Eclosion, 2019
    Julie Curtiss
    Eclosion, 2019
  • Julie Curtiss Entre Chien et Loup, 2020
    Julie Curtiss
    Entre Chien et Loup, 2020
  • Julie Curtiss Selfie 1, 2020
    Julie Curtiss
    Selfie 1, 2020
  • Julie Curtiss Smoking Domes, 2019
    Julie Curtiss
    Smoking Domes, 2019
  • Julie Curtiss Hair Saloon, 2019
    Julie Curtiss
    Hair Saloon, 2019
  • Julie Curtiss Mauvais Sang, 2020
    Julie Curtiss
    Mauvais Sang, 2020
Press
  • Julie Curtiss Creates a Whole New "Square One" In Pop-Up with Anton Kern Gallery

    Evan Pricco, JUXTAPOZ, October 14, 2020
Publications
  • Julie Curtiss

    Julie Curtiss

    SQUARE ONE 2020
    Softcover 40 pages
    Publisher: Anton Kern Gallery, New York
    Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.5 inches
    Read more

Related artist

  • Julie Curtiss

    Julie Curtiss

Back to exhibitions

ANTON KERN GALLERY

16 East 55th Street

New York, NY 10022

 

Hours:

Tuesday - Saturday: 10am - 6pm

 

 

 

 

T  212.367.9663

F  212.367.8135 

 

 

 

 

   

WINDOW, on view 24/7
91 Walker Street (corner of Walker and Lafayette Street)

General Inquiries:
info@antonkerngallery.com

 

Press Inquiries:
press@antonkerngallery.com

Go
Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Tiktok, opens in a new tab.
Join the mailing list
Manage cookies
Copyright © 2025 Anton Kern Gallery
Site by Artlogic

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Please contact us to find out more about our Cookie Policy.

Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences