Artist Colleen Barry presents her exhibition “Iconophilia” at Half Gallery in the East Village, featuring 14 recent paintings that explore motherhood, tenderness, and the complexity of image-making. The works include mythological references like the Capitoline Wolf and juxtapositions of ancient and modern imagery, such as a portrait of Grace Jones combined with the Roman god Janus. Barry, who grew up working class in New York and learned painting from her father, aims to counter contemporary distrust of images—especially among her children—by offering a reverent, iconophilic approach to visual culture.
This exhibition matters because it addresses a growing cultural anxiety about the authenticity of images in the age of AI and digital manipulation. Barry’s work reclaims the ancient concept of iconophilia—the love of images—as a counterpoint to modern iconoclasm, inviting viewers to engage with pictures through trust and intimacy rather than suspicion. By blending classical techniques with contemporary figuration, she positions herself within a broader return to representational painting, connecting with artists like Jenna Gribbon, Salman Toor, and Doron Langberg while offering a personal, tactile antidote to digital skepticism.