River Shell's "The Dust is Here to Stay" at Tureen, Dallas: Bodies in Flux
River Shell's exhibition titled "The Dust is Here to Stay" is currently on display at Tureen in Dallas until October 3, 2026. This showcase includes anonymous, cropped figures rendered in watercolor on various surfaces such as canvas, wood panel, and found materials. Shell's artistry highlights the interplay of white and color with the underlying mediums. Notable pieces include "Fire" (2026) and "Hot" (2026), which portray figures with indistinct features in unconventional hues. "Beef" (2026) features a figure with pronounced biceps, while "Torso" (2026) depicts a figure in a thong on an unusual panel. "Close My Eye" (2026) showcases a figure adorned with a cowboy hat. The exhibition delves into themes of identity, hinting at gay male culture and regionalist art.
Key facts
- River Shell's solo exhibition "The Dust is Here to Stay" is on view at Tureen in Dallas through October 3, 2026.
- The show features watercolor and thin washes on stretched canvas, raw wood panel, and irregular found scraps.
- Works include "Fire" (2026), "Hot" (2026), "Beef" (2026), "Torso" (2026), and "Close My Eye" (2026).
- Shell paints watercolor directly into drying gesso in select works, allowing the ground to alter the paint.
- Figures are cropped mid-body, lack identifiable features, and emerge through silhouette and non-naturalistic color.
- Shell's washes are compared to Marlene Dumas' early inkwash figuration, though Shell lets the support interrupt.
- Cropping and markers like a dog collar and cell phone reference gay male online culture and apps such as Grindr.
- Texas regionalist iconography—sunflower, heart, star, cowboy hat—appears in "Close My Eye" (2026).
Entities
Artists
- River Shell
- Marlene Dumas
- Ian Etter
Institutions
- Tureen
- Glasstire
- Grindr
Locations
- Dallas
- United States
- Texas