JAMIAN JULIANO-VILLANI

“Ten Pound Hand”
JTT, New York

What the Gallery Says: “Jamian’s second solo show with the gallery features 10 new paintings as well as a gallery embedded within the gallery. Similarly, two of the new paintings have seemingly incongruous paintings embedded within them. This gallery-within-a-gallery is an antechamber that viewers step into upon entering the space, and appears to be a graffiti art show. The titled of this installation is: If Balls Could Talk, which also relates to the title of the entire show, ‘Ten Pound Hand’—a reference to a guy pushing a girl’s head down during a hookup, as if to suggest fellatio. One of the paintings in this antechamber is on a track; it slides open to reveal a doorway into Jamian’s painting show. Any sense of relief felt in the realization that you’re in the right place is quickly undermined by the anxiety-ridden portraits in the room beyond… Many of the paintings on view feature single figures in sinister environments. While her subjects frequently find themselves in unlikely company, the paintings are not surreal nor are they an embrace of the subconscious. Rather, Juliano-Villani intentionally places one known image next to another in order to create new and unexpected meanings.”

Why It’s Worth a Look: The installation of Juliano-Villani’s new show is as playfully unpredictable as her paintings, adding a fresh new element to the work of this closely watched rising star. Her dark humor and disparate references still shine, while the physical installation adds literal new layers in the form of a graffiti installation, secreting her painting in the secret back room.

What It Looks Like: 

Jamian Juliano-Villani, If Balls Could Talk (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Jamian Juliano-Villani, If Balls Could Talk (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Jamian Juliano-Villani, Penis Breath (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Jamian Juliano-Villani, Bacon Boy (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Jamian Juliano-Villani, Gone with the Wind (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Jamian Juliano-Villani, Shut Up, The Painting (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Jamian Juliano-Villani, October (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Jamian Juliano-Villani, Does This Slide Or Do I Pull (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Jamian Juliano-Villani, Expressions (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Jamian Juliano-Villani, Star Named After You For Free (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Installation view of “Ten Pound Hand” (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

Installation view of “Ten Pound Hand” (2018). Courtesy of JTT.

“Ten Pound Hand” is on view through February 24, 2018. JTT is located at 191 Chrystie St., New York.