Black and white?: Sean Kelly showcases the hyperreal paintings of James White

Situated in New York City’s evolving Hudson Yards district, Sean Kelly might be a little off the usual gallery path. Still, with artists like Marina Abramović, Los Carpinteros, Antony Gormley and Kehinde Wiley represented, it certainly has no lack of visitors passing through its sprawling, two-floor space.
As the location for this month’s Joseph Kosuth fashion story (p.150), Kelly’s striking setting epitomises contemporary New York just as it represents contemporary art. Designed by the architect Toshiko Mori, and situated within a historic building dating from 1914, the gallery is flooded with natural light thanks to its recognisable floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around on two sides.
Equally enticing is its current exhibition ‘Aspect: Ratio’, which throws a spotlight on the London-based artist James White. Intricately executed black and white paintings depict everyday scenes and objects, such as plastic water bottles, a hotel room minibar and bathroom, and a deflating helium balloon, with fine verisimilitude. Armed with a realism reminiscent of the Flemish masters, White’s hypnotic paintings possess a photographic quality that infuses the seemingly mundane subjects with an undercurrent of suspense.
In this new body of work, White takes this photo-like intensity one step further. Some paintings feature pairings of seemingly disparate scenes, separated simply by blank, grey panels that emphasise the arbitrary cutting and cropping of images. A possible comment on digital vs analog disciplines, these breaks add a separate dimension to the nature of contemporary visual language.
'James White's exceptionally complex approach is simultaneously hyper-realistic and abstract,' Kelly says. 'He's developed a very unique vision – a highly contrasted black and white palette, omitting visible brushstrokes – that transforms what might initially be seen as straightforward scenes from everyday life into evidence of a more cryptic narrative, fraught with psychological tension and suspense.’
Intricately executed black and white paintings depict everyday scenes and objects. Pictured: Aspect/Ratio #8, 2015
In this new body of work, White has incoporated blank, grey panels that emphasise the arbitrary cutting and cropping of images. Pictured: Aspect/Ratio #9, 2015
Some paintings feature pairings of seemingly disparate scenes. Pictured: Aspect/Ratio #5, 2015
Each image comes tinged with an undercurrent of suspense. Pictured: STILL #4, 2015
White's work possesses a realism reminiscent of the Flemish masters. Pictured: STILL #2, 2015
INFORMATION
‘Aspect: Ratio’ is on view until 12 March. For more information, visit Sean Kelly Gallery’s website
Photography courtesy of the artist and Sean Kelly Gallery
ADDRESS
Sean Kelly Gallery
475 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
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Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
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