“Blackout Romeo”

Behind The Door present "Blackout Romeo", a group show featuring the work of Sterling Ruby and two emerging talents, Leslie Martinez and Ana Karkar.

This harmonious cohabitation of abstraction, figuration and minimalism defines "Blackout Romeo" which will take place from Saturday March 2 to April 13, 2024.

Born in 1972 on an American military base in Germany, American artist Sterling Ruby has developed a complex and constantly evolving artistic universe, oscillating between raw abjection and aesthetic abstraction. His works, including ceramics, sculptures, installations, textiles, videos and paintings, are distinguished by a brutal and powerful language defying convention through the use of raw and industrial materials. Based in Los Angeles, Ruby maps our collective unconscious, focusing particularly on the social topologies, traumas and fractures of post-war art history. His work explores contemporary phenomena such as maximum-security prisons, American politics, consumerism and the social treatment of mental disorders. Ruby has created a lexicon for a language of chaos, transgression and radical diversity that acts as a source of simultaneous eruption and awakening. He is considered by Roberta Smith as one of the most interesting artists of this century.

Her current exhibition at MoMA PS1 represents a significant milestone in Leslie Martinez's artistic journey. Deeply attached to her ancestral roots in the Rio Grande Valley, Martinez draws her inspiration to create works that embody a remarkable minimalist and abstract aesthetic. Her work, influenced by arte-povera, is characterized by clean lines and negative spaces which, through a subtle use of color and light give an impression of simplicity that hides an underlying complexity.

Influenced by experimental film and collective imagery, Ana Karkar stands out for her bold exploration of the boundaries between figuration and abstraction through unique and dreamlike narratives. Her deft mastery of vibrant colors and brushstrokes evoking the essence of Kubrick, De Palma or Munch, Bacon and Schiele create visual compositions that defy simplicity while remaining deeply emotional. Ana's mesmerizing canvases, filled with mystery and psychedelia have captivated audiences at recent exhibitions in Paris, Brussels, Los Angeles and Berlin.

"Blackout Romeo" is more than just an exhibition, it's an invitation to navigate between painting, sculpture and collage, to be magically transported between figuration, abstraction and minimalism.