Jonathan Lasker's Ambivalent Abstraction at Cheim & Read

Jonathan Lasker's exhibition at Cheim & Read ran from January 7 to February 13, 2016, at 547 West 25th Street in New York City. The artist's abstract paintings, emerging from 1980s postmodernism, provoke complex responses through their contradictory elements. His work features insistent grids, childlike primary structures, and nursery colors that create a self-referential aesthetic. Yet dark symbolism and ambiguous forms—like a possible slice of bread or falling bomb—invite psychological interpretations. Lasker's style juxtaposes graphic and painterly techniques, making his art difficult to categorize. The show's final day coincided with forecasted cold weather, though conditions appeared sunny. His paintings reference Pierre Bonnard's sentiment about hidden emotions beneath surface cheer.