Artist Eliza Douglas opened her first solo show in New York, titled “GHOSTS,” at Gagosian’s Park & 75 location on the same day her Paris gallery, Air de Paris, announced its closure. The exhibition features reworked paintings from the past decade, combining existing compositions with manipulated photographs taken by her aunt, journalist Leslie Kean, who reports on UFOs. Curated by Francesco Bonami, the show is the first in a series aimed at presenting innovative work by younger or less established artists not necessarily represented by the mega-gallery. Douglas, known for collaborations with designer Demna and performance artist Anne Imhof, also discussed her studio practices in an interview, including her ritual of writing detailed show proposals and working without pants.
This article matters because it highlights how a mid-career artist navigates gallery closures and secures a major solo exhibition at one of the world’s most influential commercial galleries, Gagosian. It also underscores a strategic shift by Gagosian to feature non-represented emerging talent, signaling a broader trend in the art market where mega-galleries expand their programming beyond their stable of artists. Douglas’s candid studio interview offers insight into the economics and creative processes of contemporary painting, including outsourcing labor and the role of external pressure in producing work.