Gladys Nilsson and Julia Benjamin present contemporary surrealist paintings at National Exemplar gallery

Gladys Nilsson and Julia Benjamin's exhibition at National Exemplar gallery presents two distinct approaches to contemporary surrealist painting. Gladys Nilsson, born 1940, creates watercolor and gouache works featuring characters from pre-modern villages within densely-realized landscapes of preening trees and tottering flowers. Her work has long been associated with the Chicago Imagists group, sharing the movement's goofy-strangeness with her husband Jim Nutt. Julia Benjamin, born 1984, produces gooey-lyrical abstract oil paintings where strokes and dabs of color populate the canvas. Benjamin's compositional style oddly mirrors Nilsson's skewered approach, with both artists sharing an obsession with figures in space. Installed side-by-side, the paintings function as two sides of the same story, creating a dialogue between generations of surrealist-inspired work. The exhibition runs until October 20, 2013 at the gallery located at 381 Broadway at White Street, 2nd Floor. Viewing hours are Thursday to Sunday from 2 to 7 PM. The gallery can be contacted at thenationalexemplar@gmail.com. The show offers an alternative to the Museum of Modern Art's Magritte exhibition happening concurrently.