BACKDROP
My solo show BACKDROP runs from Sept 8 through Oct 1, 2023 at Radiator Gallery, curated by Nat Roe.
INSTALLATION
ABOUT BACKDROP
BACKDROP is anchored by large, freestanding paintings constructed from reclaimed wood. The works function like stage sets, forming a broken panorama. The paintings depict theater architecture and waterways that border New York, invoking the Hudson River Valley School while playing with the genre of scenic painting.
Over the last decade, Wagner’s work has focused on sites of conflict between human construction and the natural world, including flood zones, abandoned factories, and areas of desertification. BACKDROP deepens this investigation into Wagner’s local ecosystem. In a city contending with rising waters, toxic air, and excessive waste, what role does landscape painting have to play? In an art context saturated by a kaleidoscope of content, what holds center stage?