Blum & Poe's new exhibition Nightswimming, marks London-based artist Christopher Hartmann's first solo show with the gallery. Hartmann's art captures scenes that appear disconnected from any particular time or place. These settings imply interaction and conversation, but they carry mixed feelings of closeness and detachment—an elusive and lingering sense of uneasiness that stems from our media-saturated world and our reliance on technology for social connections. The composition of the paintings mimics the layering techniques found in photo-editing software, using carefully applied artificial colors that evoke the alienating glow of digital screens.

The exhibition takes us on a deep dive into Hartmann’s affair with abstraction, beginning with a series of abandoned-looking beds that evoke the vulnerability of sleep. They carry an intense blend of emotions and realism, existing in a space that blurs fact and fiction, the present reality and the memory of the past. The bed paintings are juxtaposed with two seascapes, where the intricate folds of the bedsheets mirror the infinite ripples on the water's surface, hinting at different states of immersion—the suspended consciousness of sleep and the body suspended in water.

The first gallery elicits a feeling of absence that gives way to the gradual introduction of a corporeal presence in the next gallery’s paintings. These artworks alternately explore themes of intimacy and isolation. One piece portrays two pairs of legs aligned amidst the undulating folds of white sheets. Another two depict solitary figures, with their body language alternating between inviting and guarded. These compositions, subtly larger than life yet intimate and relatable, envelop the viewer in looming perspectives, implicating them as more than detached observers. The final collection on display showcases close-up views of intertwined hands, concluding the exhibition with tender moments of touch bathed in natural light.

The exhibition will be on display through August 12, 2023 at Blum & Poe, Los Angeles.

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