In Schmatta at the Rachel Uffner Gallery, Talia Levitt puts a magnifying glass on both the courage and the shared experiences that define New York. Through layered, sometimes kaleidoscopic paintings, the artist engages with ordinary people, animals, material culture, and urban infrastructure that are iconic to the city, but not often celebrated. Her painting method involves applying acrylic with piping bags, stencils and freehand to create a trompe-l’oeil effect and the impression of faux embroidery. Tiny individual dots of paint emphasize the patchwork look of the works.
Levitt references textiles throughout the show, first in the title of the exhibition, Schmatta, taken from the Yiddish word for rag. The term became common in the early 19th century when Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe arrived in the United States and began working in the garment industry. Levitt’s family has been in New York’s textile industry for generations, intertwining the city’s history with that of the artist. She invokes this connection in her images, painting clothes on clotheslines, a common sight in some neighborhoods today and often associated with neighborhoods near apartment buildings on the Lower East Side, where many immigrants lived.
Drawing inspiration from these stories, Levitt’s intricate, layered paintings require close observation from near and far and resemble palimpsests, much like the city itself. In “Drawing on the Train – Day/Night” (all works 2023), for example, a composition that appears at first glance to be a patchwork quilt reveals roses, birds and hands upon closer inspection. Interspersed are nods to art history, including dead flies and skulls associated with memento mori and books, flowers and writing instruments from Dutch vanity paintings. A checkerboard border surrounds these patchwork vignettes, and a frieze of cogs and wheels runs across the bottom of the artwork, as if supporting the quilt from below. Small three-dimensional bones and teeth adorn the surface of this lower section, possibly alluding to people and animals of New York’s past.
Seen from afar, another scene is visible. As the eye traces a bright blue line, a subway car interior drawing unfolds. Figures fill the train, some seated wearily, their heads resting on their arms, others upright and leaning against the door. Other veiled and overt references to urban infrastructure are apparent in other works, such as the hidden subway car and station in “Drawing on the R” – another picture within a picture – and the cover of sewer featured prominently in “NYC Memento Mori”. Discarded candy wrappers and bottle caps also appear in the latter, alongside an empty coffee cup and face mask. Interspersed among these objects are dead pigeons, including an image of modern urban decay and an everyday scene in the city.
Levitt’s interest in the macabre and mundane aspects of New York life reveals his deep connection to the city. Emblematic of this is “City Bird”, a painting of a large dead pigeon. Elevating the image of the deceased animal to a subject worthy of a portrait, the reverential work pays homage to the city’s collective pet. Levitt’s is not a tourist’s view of New York, but rather one that reflects both his family’s history and his real-life experiences.
Talia LevittSchmatta continues at the Rachel Uffner Gallery (170 Suffolk Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan) through June 17. The exhibition was organized by the gallery.
