American artist Beverly McIver crafts deeply personal and emotional portraits and self-portraits that, through their specificity, manage to tap into the universal. A range of these recent works are featured in her solo show “Entangled” presented by Berry Campbell in New York, following the gallery’s announcement of her representation last year. On view through November 16, 2024, the exhibition presents 20 recent paintings that feature idiosyncratic depictions of McIver herself in addition to portraits of friends and family as well as tributes to the artist’s mentors, like Faith Ringgold and Philip Pearlstein—all created in her North Carolina studio.
The present exhibition’s titular series of works show the artist with variously colored cords, rope, or netting wrapped around her head, presenting the artist vulnerable, even disoriented. Rendered with singular technique, the vibrant hues and energetic brushstrokes stave off any sense of stasis, alluding to the poignancy underpinning the works. Curious and toeing the line of the sinister, the self-portraits operate as metaphors or conduits for emotional reflection and recognition.
