Empathy and relatibility: A studio visit with Aaron Gilbert

Camera: Peter Koloff. Editing: Maria Brito and Peter Koloff

Last December, Aaron Gilbert’s solo presentation booth with Mexican gallery, Lulu, at NADA Miami, made me confront the complexities of a reality that many suffer but very few capture so well: among the paintings, there was one of a woman involved in a tender moment with her daughter, putting makeup on her face, carrying on with being a parent, a citizen, maybe even an employee, but also being on parole monitored by an electronic ankle bracelet. That little detail attached to the subject’s leg is not even covering 5% of the surface of the canvas, yet it changes the entire dynamic of the narrative. I couldn’t help but being deeply moved and intrigued.

Who is Aaron Gilbert? How come he is in New York and I haven’t heard of him? I immediately reached out to Gilbert, planned a visit, and about two weeks prior to our meeting, PPOW Gallery, known for representing some of the strongest figurative painters of today, announced his representation. Gilbert’s new paintings will be shown at Independent Art Fair this week and his upcoming body of work is slated to be the inaugural show of PPOW’s new TriBeCa location next fall along with Martin Wong’s historical paintings. 

The video is an edited interview at Gilbert’s studio in the border between Bushwick and Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn.