Maria Kreyn Exhibition Set To Open May 3 At The Quin Central Park

Now in its sixth season, the Quin Arts program at The Quin Central Park by Hilton Club, located at 57th Street and Sixth Avenue, has presented a diverse range of artists at the storied midtown location. Open to the public starting on May 3, The Quin will host one of its most intriguing artists yet - Maria Kreyn's exhibition, "The Veil," curated by DK Johnston.

Kreyn is a Russian-born artist who attended SORA (School of Representational Art) and the University of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries in the U.S. and Europe, and has traveled to multiple museums in China.

Kreyn's solo exhibition at The Quin explores the veiled human form through fine art photography - a departure for the artist who has earned wide acclaim for her figurative and allegorical paintings featuring echoes of Renaissance and Baroque styles.

Kreyn commented, "I'm aiming to bring the painterly and sculptural sensibility of my practice into these photos of veiled figures. Inspired by 18th century veiled Italian sculptures, I'm imagining the nude form as a statue, evoking the alchemical illusion of softness and translucence of skin, fabric and marble."

There is a strong precedent for veiled figures in art history, from "The Winged Victory of Samothrace" (190 BCE) to the Veiled Virgin Sculpture by Giovanni Strazza (1818), to Barry X Ball's contemporary replica of Antonio Corradini's "Veiled Woman" (1717). Kreyn's historical sculptural inspirations derive from the Neapolitan Capella Sansevero, which houses the "Veiled Christ" by Giuseppe Sanmartino and the "Veiled truth" by Antonio Corradini. Kreyn adds, however, "Photographically, I admire mid-20th century masters like Man Ray, Ruth Bernhard and Erwin Blumenfeld."

While Kreyn's paintings draw on historical conventions and derive technical foundations from old master works, she reframes these techniques and expands their pictorial vocabulary into a realm of stirring emotional narratives, unique personal histories and surreal fictions. From a predominantly female, even androgynous, perspective, Kreyn tells a story of human intimacy and ceremony, investigating the liminal state of connection and detachment.

Kreyn's most recent solo shows have included: Fabien Fryns Chapel (Fabien Fryns Fine Art) Marbella, Spain, "How to Become a Cloud" in 2018; Welsh Chapel (Heist Gallery), London, "Polyphony" in 2018; and Booth Gallery, New York, "May you live in interesting times" in 2017. Kreyn was recently featured in profiles in Vanity Fair and BA High Life, and her painting "Alone Together," was featured in a recent episode of ABC's "The Catch."

Kreyn lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

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