Rae Klein: The Comfort in Calamity

Klein’s new paintings notably feature curtains as an added conceptual perimeter, revitalizing the quotidian through the use of dramaturgical elements. In a neat juxtaposition with the crimson velvet curtains of the gallery’s second-floor space, the paintings depict delicate landscapes. Harkening back to 16th century landscape painting in which the pastoral became a subject in itself, Klein’s use of proscenium-style curtains transforms a universal environment into a fantastical scene. Similar to her use of household objects, these paintings disrupt the conventions of the picture plane to harness moments when the familiar turns uncanny. It is here where the artist enacts creation, detaching her subjects from their origins and inviting the viewer to peer into new worlds where reality is not yet fully crystallized.