A new online exhibition hosted by 33 Contemporary, in collaboration with 33PA, explores the idea of both modern-day and classical artworks. Running from February 1 to 28, Modern Classics features new works by Aki Kano, Emma Foster, Leigh Brooklyn, John Hyland, Nanette Fluhr, Elena Caravela and more.
“I wanted to explore how modern paintings are still evolving into classical works,” says 33 Contemporary’s Didi Menendez, who curated the show.
Paola Charnet, Geometry of Time, oil on linen, 24 x 197⁄10"
Kathrin Longhurst’s oil Written in the Sky features a woman in a flight helmet looking directly at the viewer with a fearless intensity. “She is powerful, poised and ready for whatever comes her way—a reflection of the battles women face daily,” says Longhurst, who centers her artwork around women. “I explore the systemic inequalities and societal structures that leave women vulnerable to violence and aggression…Rather than objectifying women as decorative figures for the male gaze, I depict them as symbols of strength and resilience. My work challenges viewers to rethink the narratives we tell about women, celebrating their power and persistence in the face of inequality.”
Elena Caravela, Kandinsky With Figure, oil on linen, 28 x 22"
Paola Charnet’s Beyond the Pearl pays homage to Vermeer’s classic painting, offering an updated interpretation. “They called her a mystery, a muse, an unknown girl in a painting. Yet here, through the geometry of emotions, her inner world unfolds: vibrant colors of hope, threads of unspoken thoughts,” says the artist. “The flowing patterns become windows into her inner life, a silent story told without words. The pearl remains—a symbol of her essence holding the transparency of who she is. She invites you to look deeper, to see beyond the surface, and to connect with the timeless strength of what lies within.”
Kathrin Longhurst, Written in the Sky, oil on linen, 36 x 36"
Another painting in the show by Charnet, Geometry of Time, depicts a woman looking calmly at the viewer, an aloof expression on her face. Surrounding her are swirls of abstract shapes and colors.
Commenting on her portrait in the show, titled Feathered Crown,Alexandra Manukyan says, “This painting presents a woman adorned in the splendor of the peacock, a symbol of awakening and self-realization. The feathers, with their vivid ‘eyes,’ reflect a deep-seated wisdom and inner vision, as if she carries the secrets of the universe upon her shoulders.
Alexandra Manukyan, Feathered Crown, oil on linen on wood panel, 12 x12"
The jeweled chains and stones resting on her head are more than adornments, they represent the weight of insight and the grace of knowledge. Her calm, knowing gaze invites us into a world where beauty is both an armor and a revelation, where elegance and wisdom coalesce into a single, radiant presence.”
Explore more works in the exhibition online at www.artsy.net/show/33-contemporary-modern-classics. —
33PA / 33 Contemporary • www.poetsandartists.com • www.33contempoarary.com www.artsy.net/show/33-contemporary-modern-classics
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