Alumnae Tanya Rae Merrill '18 and Pauline Shaw '19 Featured 'Domestic Horror' Exhibition

Alumnae Tanya Rae Merrill ‘18 and Pauline Shaw ‘19 join several other emerging artists in Domestic Horror, an exhibit at the Gagosian.

Domestic Horror, which runs Sep. 5-Oct. 19, 2019, was organized by Bill Powers. For the past six years, Powers has run Half Gallery in Manhattan, which focuses on up-and-coming artists. In this show for the Gagosian, however, the organizing theme here encourages emerging artists to examine their fears.

According to the Gagosian, the exhibit “[...] probes the friction between the civilized world and baser human impulses. The word ‘domestic’ contains a potent double meaning here, alluding to the unintended consequences that can occur—in private life and in a larger national and cultural life—where internalized anxieties meet external pressures.”

Merrill, who lives and works in New York, is known for her loosely drawn animals and sense of wry humor. Ssense noted her steady gain of attention in an interview, in which Merrill’s work was described as “convey[ing] a degree of humor. In a cartoonish barnyard scene, for example, the tables have turned and the animals are attacking the farmer, but behind this comic tone is an exploration of social codes and power dynamics.”

In the same interview, Merrill notes that a studio visit during her time at Columbia to see artist Peter Halley brought to light a certain kind of ideology about artists. “He has this idea that there are two kinds of artists: an artist who has one great idea that they spend their entire lives dedicated to, and an artist who is constantly pulling in new ideas,” Merrill said, “It’s interesting, maybe it’s true, I don't know. But I think there's at least a piece of truth in there, about how people work.”

Of Merrill’s work in Domestic Horror, the Gagosian says that “While Merrill’s subject matter and muted color palette constitute a somber memento mori, her loose, erratic brushstrokes imbue the scene with a frenetic energy that is very much alive.” The painting in question is Cat with Eel and Snail (2019), which depicts a cat, eel, and snail, in violent movement.

Born in Washington, Shaw, who also lives and works in New York, creates narratives in her installations. Her recent work, “A park where animals gather to share stories of good fortune mistaken for luck,” is an installation made of felt panes, cast shelf, enlarged vest, wax bricks, lanolin, borosilicate and uranium glass.

TimeOutNY, in their review of Domestic Horror, praised the Gagosian for featuring talented emerging artists. “The participants are mostly under 40, fresh off the factory floor with recently earned MFAs. Curated by art-world talent scout and gallerist-around-town Bill Powers, “Domestic Horror” focuses on the type of painting you’d normally see on the Lower East Side: Funky and figurative with stylistic influences worn on its sleeve.”

Domestic Horror is on view at the Gagosian in New York, NY until Oct. 19, 2019