Sasha Gordon; Haze

 

Sasha Gordon’s new exhibition Haze, currently on view at David Zwirner contains oil paintings entwined with interrealing narratives that unravel through each painting.The themes comes from myths, Asian cinema, and Gordon’s own memories. A biographical element is evident as the figures resemble the artist herself. 

It Was Still Far Away depicts an explosion that lights up the background. In contrast, the central figure is nonchalant, clipping her toenails with her headphones on. This figure is depicted in different scenes for each work. In some, she eats her nail clippings, is forced to be underwater, and is fed by another figure that looks almost identical to herself. 

Personally, the immense detail in Flame Like Blush stood out to me, where the figure is bathed in a blazing orange that casts a vivid glow onto the face. The reflection of clouds in her eyes is a hint of the continued narrative through her work, as it resembles the explosion from It Was Still Far Away and provides a reason for the radiant illumination and sweat. 

Overall, Gordon’s works are realistic yet uncanny. The continued narrative of the figure put in bizarre scenes combined with her own life evokes a psychological and dream-like experience. The exhibition not only allows the viewer to be immersed in each work but also to see it as a whole, connecting the continuing themes that are threaded through each piece.