KYLIE MANNING

Manning—whose work can be found in the collections of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami, the Yuz Museum in Shanghai, and other international institutions—is known for her lyrical, atmospheric paintings that blur the boundary between abstraction and figuration. Deeply informed by her experiences living in Alaska and Mexico for extended periods during her childhood, the artist’s works situate genderless, anonymous, spectral figures within expansive landscapes that capture the light and environments specific to these locations.Layers of color and frenetic brushstrokes produce a radiant, energetic effect that seems to refract light across Manning’s canvases. Gestural and ethereal, her paintings speak to both personal and universal themes related to place, memory, and presence. Her practice can be understood in conversation with the work of Johannes Vermeer, J.M.W. Turner, and Berthe Morisot, among other art historical figures.

The artist’s upcoming exhibition with Pace in LA takes its title, Both Sides Now, from Joni Mitchell’s acclaimed song. Engaging with Mitchell’s lyrics about temporality, perspective, and subjectivity, Manning’s paintings in the show use mark making as a language to express a visual musicality, bringing the emotional and intellectual resonances of music to canvas. Grounded in the natural and meteorological phenomena of various latitudes and longitudes around the world, each work in the exhibition reflects the particular climate, terrain, and light of different geographic locations. The monumental scales of these paintings immerse viewers in ambiguous, otherworldly scenes wherein figures’ interactions with one another and their environments defy easy interpretation.

Manning produces new bodies of work as cohesive families, working on paintings in various stages of completion at the same time. Every work answers a different question, creating a sense of balance within the group. Among the paintings in the artist’s upcoming Pace exhibition are Sanctuary (2022), which depicts a tableau of undulating bodies rendered in warm yellow, orange, and brown hues, and Galvanize (2022), wherein two figures intertwine amid swathes of electric pink, purple, and orange. The two largest works in the show—Hinterland (2022) and What stays with us, and what falls behind (2022)—are epic explorations of line and color that marry 19th century Romanticism with a distinctly contemporary edge.

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