An exploration of the complexities of the feminine experience through figure painting, still life, and canine imagery

In Jen DeLuna’s first solo show in Boston, the artist gestures toward the subversive, juxtaposing graceful feminine forms with gnashing canine teeth and uncanny still-lifes. This exhibition expands upon DeLuna’s established oeuvre; with each new piece, she contributes to a vast, otherworldly universe in which Lovers’ eyes gaze watchfully from the wall and faces are cast in perpetual states of blurred motion. Her paintings subtly reference mythology, literature, and Baroque sculptural forms, captivating the viewer with myriad nods to ancient and contemporary inspirations. The parted lips of One Moment recall the expression frozen on Bernini’s Saint Teresa, while High Pressure, First Bite, and the disembodied eyes allude to sources ranging from the myth of Medusa and Freud’s writings on castration anxiety to more recent works, such as Barbara Creed’s The Monstrous-Feminine and Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch. DeLuna delicately paints the narrative of female vulnerability, while simultaneously reminding viewers of the more monstrous proclivities of her subjects.