Nicole Eisenman Returns to London with Sadie Coles HQ Exhibition

Nicole Eisenman's latest London exhibition is on view at Sadie Coles HQ, following her 2023 Whitechapel Gallery show. That earlier exhibition drew its title from Hillary Clinton's description of the 2016 US presidential election, "What happened," and presented absurdist takes on contemporary American life. The new presentation is framed as a sequel, with a working title asking, "So what do we do now?" Eisenman is known for irreverent, magpie-like subversions of art and social history, and has recently expanded from painting into sculpture. Her works frequently place figures in settings such as crowded bars or mud-flooded town squares, pairing broad humor with sharp technique while examining identity. The Sadie Coles HQ exhibition is described as abstract, humorous and deeply unsettling, with the artist positioned between distant skies and harsh realities on the ground. The review also references ICE-like figures clashing with sublime stargazing. The show follows Eisenman's 2023 Whitechapel Gallery presentation, which was widely regarded as confirming her status among the most important artists of her time. The review appears in The Guardian's art and design coverage. The Royal Academy of Arts is referenced in the source URL.