Ida Ekblad’s Deep Medicine

THE MARINADE IN WHICH HER BRAIN STEEPED, 2020, oil on Belgian linen
220 x 180 cm.; 86 5/8 x 70 7/8 in.

Grounded only by virtue of the ample cerulean blue smears at its top, Cruel Deceptive Empire, a painting by Ida Ekblad, feels at once static and full of velocity. Refracted yet thoughtfully rendered shapes embody the predicament of isolating a point of focus amid movement, like flipping through a Manga in search of a specific panel, or holding one’s gaze while speeding past them on a subway car. Ekblad’s exhibition, A Deep Medicine, in Paris at Galerie Max Hetzler, features works that unpack the graphic aesthetics of her 80s upbringing, without the saccharine of cliches. Her palette is vivid Crayola, with the moodiness of neon signage hissing on a rainy night. Her deft application of black functions to elevate the vibrant hues—a melting, unsolvable Rubik’s cube, a graphic outline of what seems like pink smoke. Full steam ahead while somehow at a complete standstill, these works feel like particular meditations on motifs for 2020—an era that defies logic. A Deep Medicine is on view in Paris at Galerie Max Hetzler until July. – Rebecca Storm

INVASION OF HER MIND BY SOMETHING ELSE, 2020, plastisol and puff paint on linen, oil on Belgian linen 440 x 185 cm.; 173 1/4 x 72 7/8 in.

Kraken Möbel, 2020
wood, paint, cast iron, lacquer
75 x 160 x 76 cm.; 29 1/2 x 63 x 30 in.

HER MOTOR CENTER, 2020
oil on belgian linen
180 x 140 cm.; 70 7/8 x 55 1/8 in.

CRUEL, DECEPTIVE EMPIRE, 2020
oil on Belgian linen
180 x 140 cm.; 70 7/8 x 55 1/8 in.

PSYCOTRONIC MICROWAVE, 2020, plastisol and puff paint on belgian linen 220 x 325 cm.; 86 5/8 x 128 in.

Photos by Uli Holz
© Ida Ekblad, Courtesy Galerie Max Hetzler Berlin I Paris I London