Daughter

Enari Gallery is pleased to present ‘Daughter,’ by Lindsay Merrill. Merrill’s paintings are rooted in a desire to move closer to the places she feels estranged from, the towns and landscapes in which she lives. Her subjects, drawn from rural American tastes and environments, include Christmas nativity blow-mould decorations, taxidermy deer heads, and scenes of Appalachia or Northeast neighbourhoods. At first glance, these are unremarkable objects and places, things our culture rarely associates with aesthetic transcendence.

Through painting, Merrill reconciles herself with these surroundings. Her works imbue their subjects with grace and quiet beauty, transforming the seemingly implacable nature of their utility. In this way, her practice becomes emblematic of her relationship with American culture and its values. Often confounded by what she sees, Merrill approaches her subjects with exacting care and attention. Despite ambivalence, she continues to look and to render, finding in that act its own form of devotion.