Beatrice Scaccia's 'Call the Bluff' at Cara Gallery, New York

Italian artist Beatrice Scaccia (b. 1978) presents her solo exhibition 'Call the Bluff' at Cara Gallery in Chelsea, New York, running until June 11, 2016. The gallery, founded by siblings Irene and Marco Cassina, is located on West 24th Street near the High Line and major galleries like Gagosian, Gladstone, and Mary Boone. Scaccia, who previously worked in Jeff Koons's studio, showcases a series of large drawings made with graphite, chalk, and wax applied with an iron, alongside small works on wood panels and paintings on canvas created specifically for the gallery. Her work depicts humanity in a state of suspension and incompleteness, drawing on Renaissance and late 18th-century iconography, with influences from Van Eyck's dark tones, Goya's corporeality, Van Gogh's melancholic realism, and Metaphysical art. Figures are covered in scarves, hats, and loose clothing, rendering them indefinite yet materially present, reflecting contemporary emptiness. The artist is fascinated by casual, repetitive gestures, and her masked characters float in a theatrical choreography of colors and 'chromatic sounds,' engaging viewers emotionally and visually.