One of the shows that we desperately wanted to see in NYC and missed (but you still have a chance) is the absolutely stunning exhibition of paintings by Kye Christensen-Knowles at the always standout Lomex gallery. Herein, at least in the press release, begins with a letter from D.H. Lawrence to Bertrand Russell in 1916, Lawrence the accomplished writer and Russell the philosopher. After giving his dismay at Russell's brand of lecture and discourse, Lawrence ends the letter with "My love to you. Stop working and being an ego, & have the courage to be a creature."
Maybe in a not so subtle way, as Knowles' paintings are like relics from the great works of fantasy and sci-fi of decades prior, a sort of future-realist that elegantly creates a new version of humankind, the painter is saying to have courage in the making something new. Something out of the ordinary, from the soul or from the deepest realms of imagination. Maybe its the best way to end 2024, with a new idea of just making and getting out of the way of ego. The mysterious painter has a point. —Evan Pricco
