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JOSH DORMAN’S ‘BABEL’ ON VIEW AT MARY RYAN GALLERY MAY 8

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NEW YORK CITY — “Josh Dorman: Babel: New Paintings and Works on Paper” will be on view May 8–June 21, at Mary Ryan Gallery. An opening reception will be Thursday, May 8, from 6 to 8 pm.

Since 2001, Dorman has been using topographical maps as a framework for the complex ideas and images that fill his paintings. Combining ink, acrylic and collage atop antique maps and paper, he creates fantastical universes that explore the connectedness of all things.

Using collage elements from old textbooks and elaborating on them with his own drawing, Dorman suggests links between the natural and the manmade. He is particular about the maps and collage elements he uses: the maps must be pre-1940, and the textbook images are all pre-photographic diagrams or engravings. While Dorman’s works compel one to look for a narrative, his suggestions are subtle. What each viewer reads is entirely his own interpretation.

Dorman’s intricate works are vast and multi-layered, linking themes of war, creation, and destruction. Influenced by Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Breughel, Dorman uses symbols and allegories to comment on the contemporary world and human nature. “Babel,” the title work in this exhibition, is made up of 32 individual panels completed over many months. Each panel is like a building block needed to create his Tower of Babel.

The gallery is at 527 West 26th Street. For more information, 212-397-0669 or www.maryryangallery.com.