Kylie Manning is an artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She is known for her genderless and atmospheric paintings that defy the boundaries between abstraction and figuration. The artist explores themes related to place, memory, and presence.
Now and Then (2022) is one of Manning’s current works, depicting humans in frenetic purple shades brushstrokes. In this painting, the abstraction of people and the sky suggest the ambiguity and elusive character of humans and time. Manning’s work offers various meanings, moods, and motives that can be seen from many sides and points of view. It could be about regret, anger, or sorrow that has passed in time.
The artist’s layers of color and brushstrokes can create radiant and energetic paintings. This practice was inspired by the works of predecessor painters, such as Johannes Vermeer, J.M.W. Turner, and Berthe Morisot.
Sanctuary (2022) portrays some lying bodies in warm yellow, orange, and brown hues. At first, it seems chaotic. It took a while to realize what picture this is and how this work has been thoroughly worked. The subjects are anonymous and genderless, making them can be related to human’s universal experience.
Manning’s works are inspired by her childhood memories of living in Alaska and Mexico for extended periods, such as her memory of Alaskan fishing or surfing in Mexico. Mostly, the artist paints genderless, anonymous, spectral figures within “expansive landscapes that capture the light and environments”. Through her works, Manning also challenges the traditional gender distinction by suggesting the uncertain identities of her subjects.
Manning balances abstraction and figuration through her skillful draftsmanship, painting, mark-making, and a refined technical process. She produces some paintings in various stages of completion at the same time. Each body of work is family, in which “every work answers a different question, creating a sense of balance within the group”.
The artist’s latest exhibition entitled Both Sides Now was on view at Pace Gallery, Los Angeles. This is her first solo exhibition in LA. The exhibition title is inspired by Joni Mitchell’s song and lyrics about temporality, perspective, and subjectivity. Manning’s works visualize “the emotional and intellectual resonance of music” on the canvas.
Manning’s works are mesmerizing. The monumental scales of her paintings make the viewer immersed in an ambiguous world, that defies traditional and dichotomy interpretations. The artist does not pin only one perspective, but uses and offers many sides and points of view.