Abattoir Gallery

Shawn Powell: Triangle, Circle, Square

October 19th - December 15th, 2024

The paintings in Triangle, Circle, Square continue Powell’s exploration of previous themes that question the artifice of painting—abstraction, representation, the subject as decoy. Always keen on everyday objects, Powell renders his subject matter with a signature delightfully deadpan manner, enlarging detailed views of pencils and cigarettes into weighty presences on canvas. He invites close analysis and the pleasure of simple looking simultaneously, layering art historical references onto uninflected close ups that shift legible forms into the abstract.