• KATIE BUTLER: POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE

    January 6 - February 18, 2023
  • Katie Butler’s politically charged paintings of opulent campaign dinners harp on the problematic nature of legislating on behalf of the...
    Referencing trickle-down economics, this painting employs reverse perspective to illustrate the distorted economic structure and resulting financial inequities of such policies.
    Katie Butler’s politically charged paintings of opulent campaign dinners harp on the problematic nature of legislating on behalf of the average citizen from a detached framework of privilege. The dining table, as the nexus in which “bread and butter” issues are discussed, sets the stage for ostentatious displays of lobster, caviar, and oysters on the half shell against the backdrop of run-of-the-mill checkered tablecloths. Her use of foreshortened and bird’s-eye view perspectives combined achieves a dimensional flattening of pictorial space, disinviting viewers from inhabiting these seemingly seductive tableaus, which are meant to feel fraught, contrived, and otherworldly. Amidst the pageantry of executive seals and fine china, the company card paying the check provides an unsettling dose of reality - a reminder that corporate meal write-offs are designed by and intended to benefit only those who are seated at the table.
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  • In as much as Butler’s paintings portray capitalistic ideals of growth and prosperity as hallmarks of the American dream, its...
    In this painting, a lavish display of seafood and caviar sit on a table top in the upper register of the composition. The table winds down to the very bottom of the canvas, diminishing in scale, and ending with a modest checkered tablecloth and two chairs - a nod to the impracticality and inaccessibility of such luxuries to the average working class American.
    In as much as Butler’s paintings portray capitalistic ideals of growth and prosperity as hallmarks of the American dream, its symbolism through cornucopias of food is not without undertones of perishability. Rooted in traditions of Dutch still life painting in which memento mori objects allegorized mortality and impermanence, Butler’s paintings similarly caution against blanket assumptions of perpetuity. Whether through extreme perspectival shifts that threaten to topple wine glasses over or the lone fly as a harbinger of something amiss, the illusory façade of grandeur and stability is momentarily suspended. While Butler conveys a journalistic sense of factuality as she sources her imagery from White House archives, their simulacrum in a painterly space, coupled with suited figures who register as archetypes more than actors, collectively function as props for a metaphorical political theater.
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  • In light of the upcoming anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection, which coincides with the opening reception of Pomp and Circumstance, Butler’s paintings take on a new significance. Like the sobering attacks on the Capitol Building, which saw the endangerment of democracy, the US Constitution, and a working justice system, Butler’s works similarly signal the fragility of seemingly axiomatic pillars of society that one often takes for granted.
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  • "The Food Chain" relates the economic hierarchy of contemporary American society to the food chain, questioning who gets to feast, who has to clean up the mess, and who is really picking up the tab. 
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  • "Old money" examines the accumulation of money, often inherited and bolstered by power, and how those systems contribute to a broadening wealth gap in American society.
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  • Katie Butler's NYC debut solo show listed as a MUST SEE in Art Forum.

  • INSTALLATION VIEWS
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    • Painting of a charcuterie board tilted at an angle, filled with cheese, moldy bread, crackers, pickles, salami, four knives, a credit card, and a Rolex watch. Two American flags hung in the corner of the room which has navy floor with white starred outline red rug, with the pink striped and yellow striped wallpaper from right to left.
      Katie Butler
      Grand Old Party, 2022
      Oil and acrylic on canvas
      40 x 60 in
      101.6 x 152.4 cm
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    • Painting of a two-tiered serving stand with lobsters, caviar, oysters and lemon on ice next to an empty glass, a gold and white plate and cutlery and place card with the presidential seal.
      Katie Butler
      Head of State, 2022
      Oil on canvas
      40 x 30 in
      101.6 x 76.2 cm
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    • Painting featuring a plate of skinned fish between a knife and a eucalyptus branch on top of a table viewed through an ornated golden arch. The fish dish is decorated with lobsters, four golden republican elephant campaign pins.
      Katie Butler
      Old Money, 2022
      Oil and acrylic on canvas
      40 x 60 in
      101.6 x 152.4 cm
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    • Painting showing a bird’s eye view perspective of a politician stabbing a piece of steak with a fork on top of an ellipse table with the white and red checkered tablecloth stained by spilled red wine and placed atop a white starred red geometrical rug. Three other politicians stand afar in front of American flags watching him.
      Katie Butler
      Party of One, 2022
      Oil and acrylic on canvas
      48 x 72 in
      121.9 x 182.9 cm
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    • Painting featuring lobster, oyster, and shrimp platters with moldy bread and two flies on a white table flanked by two American flags, in front of pink striped background and a star outlined brown ellipse.
      Katie Butler
      Pomp and Circumstance, 2022
      Oil and acrylic on canvas
      40 x 60 in
      101.6 x 152.4 cm
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    • Painting of two politicians sitting next to tables serving skinned fish, wine, desserts, cheese, grapes, and fruit plate with golden elephant ornament surrounded by ants and flies.
      Katie Butler
      The Elephant in the Room, 2022
      Oil on canvas
      48 x 72 in
      121.9 x 182.9 cm
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    • Painting of an overhead perspective of six politicians shelling shrimp, lobster, oysters, and fishes with the presence of a fly and spilled red wine at a round table next to an American flag.
      Katie Butler
      The Food Chain, 2022
      Oil on canvas
      48 x 72 in
      121.9 x 182.9 cm
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    • Painting showing a bird’s eye view perspective of a politician eating steak next to two American flags on top of a solid yellow and red stripes tablecloth pattern background. This perspective makes the tabletop resemble a lectern stand.
      Katie Butler
      Trickle Down, 2022
      Oil and acrylic on canvas
      40 x 30 in
      101.6 x 76.2 cm
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    • Painting featuring lobster, oyster, shrimp on tiered serving stand with lemon and caviar on a wooden table, in front of yellow striped and white stars on red background.
      Katie Butler
      Your Table is Ready, 2022
      Oil and acrylic on canvas
      60 x 50 in
      152.4 x 127 cm
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  • ABOUT THE ARTIST

    Katie Butler is a painter based in Akron, Ohio. Her allegorical still life paintings provide critical commentary on the financial disparities in American society. Recent exhibitions include the Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI; Tchotchke Gallery, New York, NY; Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, MA; Hashimoto Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA; Abattoir Gallery, Cleveland, OH. Butler received her BFA from the University of Akron in 2017 and her MFA from Kent State University in 2021.