Monya Rowe Gallery is pleased to announce the second New York solo exhibition by Memphis-based artist Rahn Marion titled Where Spirit Meets Bone. The title of the exhibition, Where Spirit Meets Bone, is borrowed from a song by Southern singer Lucinda Williams (1953-). The phrase is a metaphor for the intersection where the physical body and the spiritual self connect, in essence ones’ true self.
Marion was raised in Mississippi and Tennessee, and still lives in the American South. His paintings infuse his own lived experiences with inspiration from the rich tapestries of Southern folktales, theological narratives and the vibrant energy of the Harlem Renaissance to forge a unique contemporary dialogue. The imagery in the exhibition ranges from jesters, memento mori and dancing skeletons to men with butterfly wings and ruffs. Marion’s flamboyant sartorial choices, partly influenced by the Medieval period, embrace queer identity and consider how clothes, or "costumes", contribute to daily performance. The artist quotes RuPaul: “We’re all born naked, and the rest is drag”.
In Drunk In Jest (2025) a reclining man in a skirt echoes Egon Schiele’s (1890-1918) well-known painting from 1911. In Fishermen (2025), Marion subverts the common art history trope of society portraits highlighting white wealthy men in hunting poses. Here, a nude African American male with an exaggerated 90’s hi-top fade, which also symbolizes an Egyptian headdress, proudly shows off his toned body and a collection of pastel colored fish presumably from a successful fishing trip. A nearby bird symbolizes spirit, regeneration and new opportunities. Seen through a queer Southern perspective, the artists’ many influences range from the middle ages to William Blake (1757-1827) to contemporary culture. Marion’s paintings oscillate between sincere and playful, romantic and otherworldly while employing a disparate range of iconography to explore identity, spirituality and existence.
