Monya Rowe Gallery is pleased to announce the first New York solo exhibition by Lily Taylor titled Left Open. The opening reception for the artist will be held on Thursday, February 19, 6-8 PM.
Drawing inspiration from current domestic surroundings, but relying heavily on recollections from the past, Taylor recreates memories from growing up in New York City. The paintings are charged with potential discomfort- from middle school angst to family dynamics. The work wrestles with the nebulous nature of memory and piecing together the past. Taylor embraces the power of sentimentality and nostalgia, but also confronts the complexity of misunderstood communication. Even shared experiences can be perceived vastly differently. By looking to the past we can begin to better understand ourselves, and those around us.
The familiar is made strange through careful compositional decisions. Negative space is used to create a certain mood and dictate a relationship to the objects depicted. Cropping or framing acts as a metaphor for psychological barriers. The flat areas of paint are in tension with the spatial depth represented in the paintings, signaling a form of alienation or introspection. Taylor carefully selects everyday objects, such as umbrellas, cakes, or a dining room table, to operate as conduits for an unresolved remembrance of past events. Objects can carry different symbolic meanings at different times. As Magritte said: “Everything we see hides another thing.”
In Telephone #2 (2025), the handset of a rotary phone is “off the hook” in an otherwise empty room conveying a disquieting impression. The isolated object is fraught. The telephone is used to symbolize communication, or lack thereof, while also suggesting concealment or the hiding of information. The viewer is forced to navigate through these gaps of silence. The cityscapes in the exhibition mirror the exploration of depth and flatness in the domestic interiors, while also offering a respite from the enclosed world. Views observed through city windows act as a pause to uncertainty while providing a moment of reflection or psychological stillness.
