Adler Beatty is pleased to present Manic Pixie Nightmare Drawings, a group exhibition curated by Sedrick Chisom (b. 1989) on view from March 21st through May 3rd, 2024, at 34 East 69th Street.
The drawings in this show evoke a sort of throughline between Surrealism and contemporary discourse. Undulating lines snake through illusory environments from which the feminine form emerges, whimsical and anonymous. The effect of these imagined scenes is both dreamlike and delusional. The exhibition aims to focus on the artist’s expression through the medium of drawing in all forms and how it uniquely conveys the hand of the artist. This mischievous aura of the exhibition is due to the dynamics between contemporary and modern drawings, featuring the likes of Hans Bellmer and Unica Zürn, who were married and both pivotal to the Surrealist movement. Viewers are encouraged to engage with the artists’ creative processes and contemplate the role of drawing in contemporary art as it challenges societal norms and expands the boundaries of artistic expression.
Participating artists: Madeline Bach, Isabelle Brourman, Sedrick Chisom, Steve DiBenedetto, Louis Eisner, Georgia Gardner Gray, Dan Herschlein, Madeleine Hines, Bradford Kessler, TARWUK, and Olivia Van Kuiken.
With drawings by Hans Bellmer, Lee Bontecou, Arshile Gorky, Unica Zürn, and Cy Twombly.