JOHN PULE

Venus Over Manhattan opens the first US-based solo exhibition of artist and poet John Pule.

September 12 – October 26, 2024

Pule’s own work often emphasizes representations of nature as well as references from across culture and time, bringing past and present together into singular compositions on canvas, barkcloth, and paper.

John Pule features new paintings from a series produced in the past year. Paintings such as Takeleaga; Hina; Haia; and Deep Niue Evening showcase Pule’s distinct engagement with both rich, saturated color and evocations of nature. The vibrant paintings compel the eye and draw the viewer into Pule’s fantastical abstract landscapes.

In this work, and others like it, symbols and gestural marks collide in an open expanse, flattening any specific sense of time, place, and narrative, and highlighting Pule’s contemporary sensibilities as he illuminates different historical touchpoints.

The works are both elusive and evocative, framing ongoing histories and mythologies with a compositional continuum.

Together, the works on view offer a broad view into the depth and breadth of Pule’s practice, highlighting his unique ability to bring together different narrative threads and expressions in ways that both honor cultural traditions and create an utterly contemporary experience.