Gagosian presents “Latent,” a solo exhibition of new paintings by artist Jenny Saville for the first time in Paris. “I get a kick out of seeing one color running through another, or making forms appear—out of making something from nothing,” said the artist. Saville perfects her process of allowing an image to speak through meaningful layers and vivid hues of acrylics and pastels. Inspired by the concept of “latent space,” concealed structural relationships in visual data, the artist creates from photographs of models and body parts, juxtaposing abstract pathways and connections from nature to culture. The influences of historical moments in art and Renaissance drawing, as well as the colors in Japanese erotic prints, are deeply felt in Saville’s complex works.
“Against Willem de Kooning’s famous adage ‘Flesh was the reason why oil painting was invented,’” said philosopher Emanuele Coccia. “Saville seems to suggest that painting is the sole reason why flesh was created.”
