Reversible Roles – Meghan Brady

January 18 – May 4, 2019

Meghan Brady’s large-scale paintings and collages are brought to life through intense color saturation and dynamic, abstract forms. The compositions are vibrantly structured with unadulterated blues, intense yellows, and oranges. The focal point of the exhibition is a work titled Everyday that spans over sixteen feet and explores shape and form on a grand scale. The artist states, “The container form—human or otherwise—is a jumping off point to do what I want to do, which is to construct, deconstruct, and hopefully land somewhere totally unexpected.” Brady also layers bold colors, such as acidic green over deep blue, as a means of creating unique shapes in her compelling compositions. The use of saturated color and powerful gestural marks articulate Brady’s exploration of energetic geometric forms and how they relate to each other.

The selected works of Reversible Roles involve both the concept of representation and abstraction and explore how the negative spaces—the spaces created between and around color—can become the focal point of the piece. Brady explains, “Negative shapes are the by-product of cutting shapes from canvas and these shapes transform from negative to positive in the course of one quick decision.” These works are the culmination of Brady’s practice of working with diverse media, including ceramics, woodcut, collage, and oil paint as a means of expanding her creative praxis and extending her process. Brady adds, “Reversible Roles is about the possibility of upending expectations by swapping places. Or in the case of painting, turning them upside down, placing them on the floor, or cutting them in half.” Producing works of this size is a challenging endeavor. The physicality of this process is like a dance between artist and canvas and this corporeality infuses the paintings with energy, spirit, and life.

Meghan Brady (American, born 1975) Blue + Gold Gardenhead, 2018, Oil on canvas, Courtesy of the Mrs. Gallery