NINA KLEIN
“LADDER IN THE GLASS”Los Angeles | JUNE 1ST - JULY 15TH
“ Drawing from her Evangelical upbringing the artist interrogates the enduring influence of institutional power structures on the autonomy and representation of women’s bodies in contemporary society.”
There is a ladder.
The ladder is always there hanging innocently
close to the side of the schooner. We know what it is for,
we who have used it.
-Adrienne Rich, Diving into the Wreck
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Emma Gray HQ is pleased to present “Ladder in the Glass,” a solo exhibition by Nina Klein, expanding on her first solo show with the gallery, Mary in Me, in Garage #1.
A central theme of the show, materially and conceptually, is a stain. The fabric, a site of both mess and controlled gradation of color— holds space for representations of stained glass windows, portals, or bodies built out of collaged soak-stained fabrics. Drawing from her Evangelical upbringing the artist interrogates the enduring influence of institutional power structures on the autonomy and representation of women’s bodies in contemporary society.
The series of paintings evoke a wide array of associations from cathedrals to paganism to domestic life. The works of the show invite the viewer to descend the ladder to uncover artifacts of their past and bring them to the surface to be re-examined.
Several of the works in the show feature loose depictions of the biblical women named Mary. The figures, lacking many defining characteristics, draw from the ambiguity of the Marys in the Scriptures.
One painting, An Open Myth, draws inspiration from the Book of Mary Magdalene, a fragmented text that was discovered in 1896. The work questions the historical representation of Mary Magdalene, suggesting her frequent mis-portrayal across the ages. The book, rather than operating as beacon of truth, functions symbolically in several paintings to underscore the instability of historical narratives, which are perpetually subject to revision and reinterpretation.
The largest work in the show, “Backyard Baptism,” operates as a dual visual metaphor, intertwining the imagery of a stained glass window with that of a domestic swimming pool, drawing from the artist's recollections of baptisms held in the backyards of churchgoers' homes. Being raised in a strongly Evangelical household, Klein navigates her religious upbringing, guiding the viewer toward this "pool portal" to examine the narratives that shape their beliefs and identities.
Other select paintings in the show employ a lexicon of motifs to create visual riddles. The works collapse seemingly disparate modes of representation: the synthesis of simplified iconographic shapes with the unpredictable dynamics of a soak-stained painting medium. Fabrics that host uncontrolled stains collaged with iconic sy
mbols such as a knife or a star, speak to the complexity of identity and the desire to make sense of the various threads.
The title of the show, Ladder in the Glass, is a dual reference to the ladders in Backyard Baptism, and Adrienne Rich's poem, Diving into the Wreck. We are encouraged to begin the descent into our own fragile, murky waters and return anew. The ladder is always there.
There is a ladder.
The ladder is always there hanging innocently
close to the side of the schooner. We know what it is for,
we who have used it.
-Adrienne Rich, Diving into the Wreck
Emma Gray HQ is pleased to present “Ladder in the Glass,” a solo exhibition by Nina Klein, expanding on her first solo show with the gallery, Mary in Me, in Garage #1.
A central theme of the show, materially and conceptually, is a stain. The fabric, a site of both mess and controlled gradation of color— holds space for representations of stained glass windows, portals, or bodies built out of collaged soak-stained fabrics. Drawing from her Evangelical upbringing the artist interrogates the enduring influence of institutional power structures on the autonomy and representation of women’s bodies in contemporary society.
The series of paintings evoke a wide array of associations from cathedrals to paganism to domestic life. The works of the show invite the viewer to descend the ladder to uncover artifacts of their past and bring them to the surface to be re-examined.
Several of the works in the show feature loose depictions of the biblical women named Mary. The figures, lacking many defining characteristics, draw from the ambiguity of the Marys in the Scriptures.
One painting, An Open Myth, draws inspiration from the Book of Mary Magdalene, a fragmented text that was discovered in 1896. The work questions the historical representation of Mary Magdalene, suggesting her frequent mis-portrayal across the ages. The book, rather than operating as beacon of truth, functions symbolically in several paintings to underscore the instability of historical narratives, which are perpetually subject to revision and reinterpretation.
The largest work in the show, “Backyard Baptism,” operates as a dual visual metaphor, intertwining the imagery of a stained glass window with that of a domestic swimming pool, drawing from the artist's recollections of baptisms held in the backyards of churchgoers' homes. Being raised in a strongly Evangelical household, Klein navigates her religious upbringing, guiding the viewer toward this "pool portal" to examine the narratives that shape their beliefs and identities.
Other select paintings in the show employ a lexicon of motifs to create visual riddles. The works collapse seemingly disparate modes of representation: the synthesis of simplified iconographic shapes with the unpredictable dynamics of a soak-stained painting medium. Fabrics that host uncontrolled stains collaged with iconic sy
mbols such as a knife or a star, speak to the complexity of identity and the desire to make sense of the various threads.
The title of the show, Ladder in the Glass, is a dual reference to the ladders in Backyard Baptism, and Adrienne Rich's poem, Diving into the Wreck. We are encouraged to begin the descent into our own fragile, murky waters and return anew. The ladder is always there.