Art Hag

What Wisdom, Welsh artist James Rielly's third solo show at Ramis Barquet, presents a series of recent paintings of "ambiguity and ambivalence, a collection of at first glance familiar snapshots of childhood stoicism and adult self-discovery" (from the press release) that actually conceal darker, more complex narratives. Images of pale, almost washed out figures that initially appear innocent enough actually harbor disturbing secrets. "Rielly's figurative paintings portray an unsettling vision of normality, in which seemingly mundane subjects appear to conceal something sinister or bizarre."

A young, blue-eyed child wearing a cutesy hat with animal ears in one work initially appears like a sweet portrait though the title of the piece, Death will take you away, suggests something very contrary and forces viewers to reconsider the child's despondent stare. The title of the work Hair loss makes you sad sounds funny and light in its frank honesty until you see the close-up image of a dark-haired boy with a huge, hairless gash running down his scalp. More jarring are the two tow-headed siblings in We'd get drunk then make up angelically posing for a school portrait with each sporting a black eye. The adults in Rielly's world don't get off easy either. Businessmen bicker in Ability to diminish while a dark-haired man proudly poses wearing his socks, and nothing else, in unconventional ways in Gay Dad and Helping others through a life dedicated to avoiding others.

Proving things are often not as innocuous as they may seem, Rielly leaves it up to viewers to fill in the blanks of his mysterious and discomforting stories. As the press release sums up, "Equal parts humorous and heartbreaking, Rielly's new paintings are increasingly simple yet consistently locate the point at which the ordinary and the unsettling meet." Learn more at Ramisbarquet.com. Through February 12th.

Boys in beards, 2008