Hyperallergic's "10 Shows to See in New York Right Now" Includes "Manuel Aja Espil: Worlds of Exile"

"In Manuel Aja Espil’s painting 'Contemplation' (2023), the faceless, helmet-wearing figure reclining languidly on an old television set while drinking mate — a traditional South American beverage typically served in a calabash gourd — looks like a cross between my uncle and a character from Among Us. Lady Liberty peeks out improbably in the background of a landscape dotted with palm trees, rocks, desert plants, and a single video game controller. Conveying a kind of doomsday nonchalance in his narratives weaving sci-fi elements and painterly naturalism, the Argentinian artist created this work as one of a series reflecting on what he does most frequently in his Madrid studio: smoke, paint, and drink mate. A satellite view of Patagonia from space and a 72-inch canvas that takes on the legacy of history painting are other standouts in this evocative and foreboding exhibition."

-Valentina Di Liscia, News Editor at Hyperallergic

August 15, 2023