Daniel Levine's Monochrome Exhibition 'The Way Around' Explores White Paintings at Churner and Churner

Daniel Levine's solo exhibition 'The Way Around' opened at Churner and Churner on January 9, featuring monochrome abstract paintings in various white hues through February 22. The artist engages with viewer skepticism, exemplified by a guestbook comment reading 'Seriously?' that he welcomes as conversation starter. Levine's work involves 15-20 layers of paint on cotton, with canvases deliberately off-square dimensions and taped edges creating uniform margins. His titles reference cultural, art historical, and personal contexts while remaining open to interpretation. The exhibition includes 19 works, with only eight untitled, showcasing variations in execution across different series. Levine compares his approach to historical white monochromes by Kazimir Malevich, Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, and Robert Ryman, emphasizing subtle formal differences. He describes monochrome painting as beginning with a 'bad decision' that makes every subsequent choice pivotal. The artist focuses on three elements: structure, surface, and support, exploring possibilities within each constraint. Viewers have described the paintings as peaceful and meditative despite their austere appearance. Levine acknowledges his paintings sometimes feel smarter than himself, seeing this as something to strive for in artistic creation.