Jim Sullivan's 'Places That Never Were' at Ki Smith Gallery: Slender Epics of Climate and Cataclysm
Jim Sullivan's exhibition, 'Places That Never Were,' is currently showcased at Ki Smith Gallery in New York, located at 170 Forsyth Street, and will remain open until October 11, 2026. The collection features narrow landscape paintings that reflect the essence of Chinese handscrolls, seamlessly connecting scenes of air, land, and sea. Among the highlighted works are 'Ocean Warming' (2006), 'Saudade' (2007), and 'Great Northern Basin' (2008). Additionally, four paintings illustrate volcanic activity: 'Convergence' (2007), 'Release' (2007), 'Volcanic Ash' (2014), and 'The Remains' (2024). 'Volcania' (2026) showcases snow-capped mountains. This exhibition examines nature's duality through a fusion of serene and tumultuous imagery, intertwining Renaissance and Asian artistic influences. Review by Elizabeth Johnson, art writer and curator.
Key facts
- Jim Sullivan's exhibition 'Places That Never Were' is on view at Ki Smith Gallery, 170 Forsyth Street, New York, NY, through October 11, 2026.
- The paintings are extremely narrow, with dimensions such as 3 x 36, 6 x 96, 4 x 48, 6 x 72, 8 x 88, 5 x 60, 9 x 24, and 3 x 24 inches.
- Sullivan's works resemble Chinese handscrolls, long portable paintings produced since the Jin Dynasty in the fourth century.
- 'Ocean Warming' (2006, oil on panel, 4 x 48 inches) can be read right to left or left to right, yielding different narratives about climate change.
- 'Saudade' (2007, oil on panel, 4 x 48 inches) includes a tiny thunderbolt shaped like lambda, which in Greco-Roman symbology means awakening and solidarity.
- Four paintings depict volcanic upheaval: 'Convergence' (2007), 'Release' (2007), 'Volcanic Ash' (2014), and 'The Remains' (2024).
- 'Volcania' (2026, oil on panel, 5 x 60 inches) features snow-capped peaks and a teal-blue sky lit by a bright orb.
- The review is contributed by Elizabeth Johnson, an oil painter, art writer, and curator based in Easton, PA.
Entities
Artists
- Jim Sullivan
- Elizabeth Johnson
Institutions
- Ki Smith Gallery
- British Museum
- Two Coats of Paint
- The Brooklyn Rail
- Artspiel
- The Artblog
- Roborant Review
- Delicious Line
- Painters on Paintings
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Easton
- Pennsylvania
- Forsyth Street
- Mediterranean
- Hudson River