John Torreano: Walks through the Veil Nebula

Contemporary American artist John Torreano returns to the spotlight in East Hampton for his third solo exhibition with The Drawing Room. On view from May 31st through July 7th, John Torreano: Walks through the Veil Nebula features recent paintings and watercolors inspired by the galaxies and informed by the artist’s ongoing exploration of illusion, perception, and the metaphysical potential of his chosen materials. Challenging traditional definitions of representation while mining the universal code he has found in the stars, Torreano distills the intangible mystery of the cosmos by translating outer space into painterly space.

The exhibition title references Torreano’s investigations of the Veil Nebula, the visible remains of a massive star that exploded thousands of years of ago. Studying distinct views of this enigmatic network of glowing gas and dust captured in satellite images, Torreano transforms the supernova’s kaleidoscopic structures into flickering abstractions in sketchbook studies, watercolors and large format paintings. With the universe as his muse, Torreano likens his approach to the Veil Nebula to Paul Cézanne’s daily studies and strolls overlooking Montagne Sainte-Victoire.

See below for full press release and selected works.