Details:
① Artwork:
Dream Little One Dream, Fear is Only a Dream
This painting depicts a young figure in a reclining position. The fluid red and orange brushstrokes above the figure’s head illuminate mysterious outlines, perhaps bat wings and eyes, imagery that a child might encounter in a nightmare.
Clarke's work explores the passage of time. The artist's compositions often feature distorted subjects in the act of appearing or disappearing—evoking a memory that is slowly fading away. Each layer of paint is an attempt to interpret a moment in time that would have otherwise been overlooked or forgotten. Inspired by her childhood, Clarke frequently references old family photo albums and collected letters and notes—as well as films and books that continue to pervade her own thoughts and memories.
Specs:
③ Artist:
Clarke’s paintings depict distorted figures in the act of appearing and disappearing, exploring the passage of time. Inspired by the enigmas of childhood, the artist uses layers of paint to evoke overlooked or forgotten memories that are slowly fading away. Clarke’s compositions frequently reference old family photo albums and collected letters and notes, as well as childhood films and books that continue to pervade the artist’s thoughts.
BIO:
Cathleen Clarke was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. The artist received a BFA in Painting and Drawing at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco in California in 2014.
Solo exhibitions of Clarke’s work include: Hungry Soul at the Viewing Room at Nathalie Karg Gallery in New York City (2022); Whatever Hour You Woke There Was a Door Shutting at Fou Gallery in New York City (2021); and If You Ever Make it Home at 625 Sutter Gallery in San Francisco, California (2014).
Group exhibitions of Clarke’s work include: Vanitas at Nathalie Karg Gallery in New York City (2021); tHP: Beacon at Satellite Art Club in New York City (2021); Keep for Old Memoirs at Young Space (2020, online exhibition); The Body Responds By Lying Down at NARS Foundation in New York City (2019); Midwest Open at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, Illinois (2018); Front Lines 4.0 at Hang Art Gallery in San Francisco, California (2015); and More Than One Way at Southern Exposure Gallery in San Francisco California (2014); among others.
Clarke was a finalist of the Hopper Prize in 2018 and won the 3rd Place Honorable Mention Award for the Midwest Open by Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, Illinois in 2018.
Clarke was selected to attend the NARS Foundation International Artist Residency in Brooklyn, New York in 2019.
Clarke works and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
