Nicelle Beauchene Gallery exhibition examines identity politics through abstract and figurative works

Elaine, Let’s Get the Hell Out of Here at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery in New York from 29 June to 18 August 2017 featured 13 artists exploring identity without overt political statements. Curated by Ashton Cooper, the show included Abstract Expressionists like Joan Mitchell, Elaine de Kooning, and Grace Hartigan alongside contemporary practitioners. Mitchell's 1960s remark about rejecting the 'women artists' label inspired the exhibition's title, which examines how marginalized creators address personal identity. Hartigan's 1993 oil painting Hollywood Interior presents a witty take on the odalisque with a pink reclining figure and two outlined women. De Kooning's 1960 portrait Edwin Denby depicts the gay poet and dance critic with a faint lavender halo and fuchsia tie. Al Loving's 1976 collage Untitled represents his departure from hard-edge abstraction during the African-American abstraction movement. Sheila Pepe's 2017 textile installation On to the Hot Mess uses nautical towline and shoelaces in her 'hot mess formalism' approach. The exhibition risked reinforcing identity labels while highlighting decades of artists grappling with personal experience.