Alex Olson's Geometric Abstractions at Lisa Cooley Gallery

Alex Olson's exhibition 'As a Verb, As a Noun, In Peach and Silver' ran from September 12 to October 17 at Lisa Cooley gallery on 34 Orchard Street in New York City. The show featured geometric abstract paintings incorporating text-like marks and controlled color. Olson's methodical surfaces often employed grids that were manipulated, obscured, and then partially revealed. Works like 'Plot' (2010) displayed incised lattices with haphazard paint applications, while 'A Verb, A Noun' (2010) presented indecipherable scribbles on a Rose Madder ground. The artist's palette evoked industrial materials such as Tyvek siding and fiberglass insulation, contributing to a constructed rather than painted feel. 'Thread' (2010), the most organized piece, included a grease pencil line resembling cross-stitch and corners painted in rust and grey, referencing craft traditions. Olson's paintings initially appear cool and distant but reveal attentive engagement with painterly history upon closer inspection.