University at Buffalo (UB)
Published January 10, 2024
Joan Linder "Belly", solo exhibition at Rivalry Projects
Department of Art's Drawing Faculty, Joan Linder, has a solo exhibition of paintings at a gallery in Buffalo's Allentown neighborhood
Joan Linder, Snake Belly, 2000,
Oil on canvas
Courtesy the artist
Joan Linder: Belly
Exhibition Dates:
January 12-February 23, 2024
Opening Reception:
Friday, January 12, 2024, 5:00-9:00pm
Artist Talk:
Saturday, January 13, 2024, 11:00am-12:00pm
Rivalry Projects is thrilled to present Joan Linder: Belly. The exhibition, her first with the gallery, will be on view from January 12 - February 23, 2024. Join us for the opening reception on Friday, January 12 from 5:00 - 9:00 pm, as well as a conversation led by the artist on Saturday, January 13 at 11:00am.
Known for highly detailed pen and ink drawings, Linder’s practice is wide-ranging, with recent works considering the intimacy of domestic interiors; the strange, detached communication of Zoom meetings; capitalist consumption and impulsiveness fueled by companies like Amazon; or the ominous but nameless environmental sites for crypto currency mining. The works take many forms — life-sized scrolls, artist books, and larger-than-life renderings intended to envelope the eye — yet all are tender, inquisitive, and critical examinations of the subject matter at hand.
Belly includes monumental and intimately sized oil paintings, produced between 1999 - 2001, of fleshy male bellies. Depicted standing proud, timid, or bent over in positions of vulnerability, Linder renders the figures as soft, dimpled, and imperfect against washy pastel colored backgrounds — a feminine counter to the hyper-masculine.
This body of work provides a glimpse into the power structures and gender politics of the late 1990s, in the art world and beyond. At the time of production, Linder worked in midtown Manhattan as a curator for a significant corporate art collection. Ensconced in this culture, she was interested in the daily manifestation of power in corporate America and the art world. This led to a series of paintings of men and machines, exploring tropes of masculinity, and aimed at poking and prodding embodiments of power.
106 College Street, Buffalo, NY 14201 | info@rivalryprojects.com | 716-217-2923
Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm