THIS SUMMER, NEW YORK ART IS MAGIC, MYSTIC AND UNCANNY

Annie Armstrong, Cultured, August 12, 2021

“Nine Lives” at Fortnight Institute

Through August 21

Whether you identify as a dog or cat person, this summer has had something for you. Earlier in the season, Jack Hanley Gallery hosted “Best in Show,” a group exhibition centered around man’s best friend. Last week, Fortnight Institute piped up for our feline friends with “Nine Lives.” At first blush, the smattering of cat-related paintings feels charming and lighthearted. Taking a closer look, however, the viewer is reminded that cats are used as symbols of mysticism, domesticity, regality and femininity. Standout works include Sean-Kierre Lyons’s vibrant and lurid 2021 piece, Can I Helppp you !? (the artist, coincidentally, also had a dog painting on view at Jack Hanley); Minyoung Kim’s eerie and irreverent canvas-noir Cat Apartment (2021); Thaleia Karpouzi’s Alex Katz-esque self-portrait cum selfie Devilish… (2020), and Tao Siqi’s winsome and occult Strange Night (2021), depicting a black cat-bat hybrid creature sticking its tongue out under a crescent moon. Viewing these depictions of cats as harbingers of both good and evil reminds viewers of the poignant expression, “Every time God creates a cat, he flips a coin.”