Amy Bennett’s “Open Season” @ Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica

Richard Heller Gallery is pleased to present Amy Bennett: Open Season. This is Bennett’s fifth solo exhibition with the gallery.

“The show presents work that was made in 2019 before pandemic lockdowns prompted a change of course in the studio, alongside newer work created in post-lockdown days,” Bennett says. “These paintings were made during a time when things were literally open, both before and after a realization of how much about our lives we take for granted. But, as the title also implies, that awareness exists alongside extreme vulnerability. We have been awakened to our collective fragility on both natural and socio-political fronts. These paintings were created while attempting to return to “life as usual” amidst an atmosphere of political chaos, heightened vigilance against an invisible enemy, coping with our bodies’ response to a mysterious sickness and, for a mind-numbing number, the grief of loss. It was also a period marked by an altered sense of home life and a reassessment of relationships and use of time. Hopefully the paintings touch on these themes with a sense of humor and optimism.”