Monya Rowe Gallery is pleased to announce Dressers, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Bryan Rogers.

The works in this exhibition are drawn largely from Rogers’ day-to-day routine and leisure activities. The protagonists -a composite of the men in the artist’s life, imagination, and self-portraiture- are shown in various domestic environments. The interiors shift in perspective and are rendered in warm colors associated with nature and the outside world. The title of the exhibition, Dressers, refers to the act of routinely dressing each day, a nod to costume, presentation and performance, but also suggests objects within a domestic space.

Rogers continues to employ his signature patterning, influenced by Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Folk Art, but here, landscapes merge with interiors, sometimes blurring the boundaries and making it difficult to ascertain where one starts and ends.

The interplay of light and shadows is prominent in this group of paintings. Evoking a moody Film Noir, lone men are seen in the shadows of doorways, while mirrors reflect pensive contemplation, suggesting inner turmoil, desire or fear. The protagonists are informed by a Queer sensibility that embraces flamboyance and homoerotic poses that are infused with an underlying sexual tension exploring identity and interiority. However, the work also hints at the druggery of mundane daily routines suggesting a certain longing or dissatisfaction. It is not uncommon for Rogers to depict the central characters positioned in tight enclosed spaces, with their arms and legs stretched to the very edge of the painting, as though they are trying to fit into a space. These confined spaces and rigid compositions carry a psychological weight and convey a sense of isolation. Rogers reminds us just how small we are in relation to the outside world and our environment.