In Japanese folklore, the ungaikyō is a demonic mirror that bewitches with its reflections. But there is disagreement about what it actually does. Some say it shows phantasmagoric and shifting illusions to frighten and charm; others say the mirror is sacred and that it reveals disguised shape-shifters by exposing their true forms. Does the living mirror lie in order to dazzle, or does it reveal deeper invisible truths? That is also the question of art.
Nathlie Provosty’s show “What A Fool Ever To Be Tricked Into Seriousness” reminded me of this Japanese legend. On one level, that was because the phenomenon of reflection plays a key role in Provosty’s paintings. Her canvases are divided by off-kilter geometry, with a different color and surface treatment carefully applied to each section to create puzzle-like, yet coherent, tableaux. Certain sections of her paintings are highly glossy, while others are utterly matte, so that their appearance changes dramatically depending on the light in the room and the angle of the viewer’s gaze. The glossy paint of a dark picture such as the monumental Life of Forms, 2017, can appear blindingly white from certain positions, as would a black mirror. Meanwhile, subtle and pale paintings such as Afterimage, 2019, with its bands of delicate white layered over different but equally subtle hues of white, can appear simply blank from certain vantage points. To grasp the works’ intricate compositions takes concentration. And they are practically unphotographable.
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