In a sixth solo exhibition of Erwin Pfrang’s work at the gallery, David Nolan presents recent paintings and works on paper rife with fervent emotion and razor-sharp undercurrents. Between gasping and screaming figures, the crucifixion of a male form, and an outstretched tongue latching onto a distant mouth (Angel Brings What Is Desired), this well of imagery is just the entrypoint to a story of “fragility, suffering and existential unease” as exhibition text describes. Why, you might ask, does this anthropological study take such a sinister bent? For Pfrang, the works reflect slices of his lived experience, as well his observations of society writ-large. Between contemporary current events doused in fire, global armed conflicts, and political turmoil, the show comes at a prescient time in which the personal and the political feel inextricably linked. Pfrang’s imagery, steeped in both vulnerability and violence, serves as a mirror to a world grappling with chaos and uncertainty. Through his critical, thoughtful gaze, Pfrang crafts a narrative that is both deeply intimate and broadly resonant.
January 20, 2025
