56 HENRY is pleased to present Seven Paintings, an exhibition of new work by Richard Tinkler. On view from October 15 through November 25, 2020, this is Tinkler’s third solo exhibition at the gallery.

Richard Tinkler’s paintings reveal the infinite possibility of perception. As if seen through a kaleidoscope or under the spell of deep meditation, the works often begin with a shared process before iterative reimagining delivers each to a novel conclusion. Some are colorful and crisp fractal webs, like renderings of stained glass in virtual reality. Others more softly present a depth of space and mathematical rigor. Tinkler considers the paintings to be simultaneously portraits and landscapes, and he stitches brushstrokes together to appear as textiles, maps, or travelogue diaries of a contemplative trip into and out of a labyrinth.

The vortex-like diamonds in many of these paintings call to mind a lens flare, holy temple, or other sacred space for light. These forms are kin with the prolific drawings that Tinkler produces, which he then organizes into chapters and books. Now, a stronger relationship between the paintings and drawings is established, while some canvases still beautifully careen into layered, wet-on-wet compositions. Like a musician generatively riffing on the same melody, Tinkler’s paintings elliptically orbit mystical geometries and architecture both idiosyncratic and universal.

In 1981, the Italian artist and industrial designer Luigi Serafini published the epic Codex Seraphinianus, filled with hundreds of illustrations of fictional languages, buildings, species, and more. Tinkler’s practice is similarly concerned with crafting an ordered, inspiring archive, even if undecipherable at first glance. As a code or as a key, these paintings indicate an expansive vision beyond the objective field and reward sustained attention and curiosity.

- Max Levin

Richard Tinkler (b. 1975, Westminister, Maryland) lives and works in New York City. He received a BFA from the University of North Texas and an MFA from Hunter College. His work was the subject of a recent solo exhibition at Albert Merola Gallery, Provincetown, MA. He has been featured in group presentations at Anton Kern Gallery, New York; Cheim & Reid, New York; Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia, Italy; Regen Projects, Los Angeles, and Galerie Thaddeus Ropac, Salzburg and Paris. Richard Tinkler is represented by 56 HENRY.

For further information please contact info@56henry.nyc or (518) 966-2622.