For his first solo exhibition at D’Arcy/Simpson Gallery, Daniel Robin Clurman presents "Mother Should I Run For President", which includes paintings based on his investigation of a fantastical, chaotic-family reunion.  The push and pull of brush strokes in his paintings are a psychological journal on canvas, written in impasto oil paint, a record of Clurman’s intimate thoughts. The show includes portraits, landscapes, and partners in intimate embraces, where color, texture, and flatness form a dialogue.

 

Mother Should I Run For President was first the title of a painting Clurman made at his residency on Governors Island; it comes from a verse in Pink Floyd's song "Mother" from their iconic album The Wall. The original painting which depicts a sunrise is both like and unlike its title; it exists in an arbitrary state akin to how Clurman sees his choices in making images. 

 

"Mama’s gonna make all your nightmares come true. Mama’s gonna put all her fears into you. Mama’s gonna keep you right here under her wing. She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing. Mama's gonna keep baby cozy and warm." 

 

The song "Mother" is both a lullaby and a nightmare. It is the world where Clurman makes paintings, sometimes about outrageous questions or practical observations, in order to organize a world for himself where both beauty and atrocity exist.  

 

Daniel will also be selling a limited run print made for the gallery of Kamala Harris and on Saturday, September 14th, he will make customized artist prints.