Judy Simonian's 'Chronic Civilization' Exhibition at Janet Kurnatowski Gallery

Judy Simonian presented her solo exhibition 'Chronic Civilization' at Janet Kurnatowski Gallery in Brooklyn from November 18 to December 17, 2005. The New York-based painter displayed three large canvases alongside several watercolors exploring architectural spaces and confinement. Her paintings featured diverse interiors including a medieval dungeon, nightclub caverns, urban offices, and arena perspectives. Simonian's intuitive process involved building surfaces with collaged paper, often obscuring the canvas entirely. In 'Deep Purple Space,' light and shadow created claustrophobic atmospheres through gestural painting and sneaker tread textures. 'Pink Cell' employed schematic granite block marks with red paint accents, illuminated by a shaft of sunlight suggesting a revolutionary heroine's boudoir. Watercolor works like '6AM' used loose wet-on-wet techniques with horizontal burnt sienna strokes recalling Jackson Pollock's Long Island studio. 'Winter Garden' presented arched indigo struts framing a prisoner's-eye sky view, while 'Corporate Light' evoked office environments through wavering single-point perspective. The exhibition balanced beauty with themes of surveillance, police power, and citizen vulnerability. Simonian's career includes public art projects in New York, reflecting her interest in art's social role. The show was featured as a 'Topical Pick from the Archives' by artcritical in January 2011, coinciding with her exhibition at Edward Thorpe Gallery.