In England, the windows open outward. In France, they open inward. In Brooklyn, windows materialize on cladded walls, adorned with awnings and AC units. We peer into lit windows on dark evenings. At home, we look beyond the glass pane at night, only to be greeted by our own reflection. Our eyes absorb the familiar blur of stations and tunnels swishing by as we absentmindedly wait for our stop. Reflected landscapes, weather and glimpsed interiors all merge onto the glass, in as many layers as it takes to make an oil painting. —Aglaé Bassens
Inspired by her recent move to New York City from London and experiences here as an immigrant, Aglaé Bassens continues her exploration of windows, obfuscated views, and the gaze. The paintings in this exhibition remain opaque, offering only reflections or closed curtains or blocked views. Keeping their back to the wall, the installations never expose themselves fully. Evoking both longing and detachment, Bassens’s paintings of windows form thresholds for engagement and disengagement with the world. This is Bassens’s New York solo debut exhibition.
