Hope Atherton's studio in New York’s Chinatown is reminiscent of a 19th-century circus curiosities exhibition: a twisted theatre complete with her petrified unicorn and impaled bird sculptures, monsters peering out of glass terrariums, rows of animal skulls, wings, teeth, a vulture foot, and other collected relics from mysterious origins. But the infamous artist and girl-about-downtown ushers me past this cabinet of curios and directs my attention instead towards a series of striking paintings.

veered away from her signature taxidermy sculptures in favour of paintings. Her new works, often stretching 6 x 8 feet or bigger, invite the viewer into a surreal dreamscape where light and shadows and muted colours only hint at elements of the real world. "My work has always been centred around this sense of surreality, the thin line between reality and abstraction," she says. "I'm intrigued by the way our minds perceive memories and dreams."

There is no linear narrative in her paintings, only moments which evoke strong emotional reactions. The lighter areas convey energy and sound, while the shadows suggest lurking, underlying fear. The results are huge, cinematic streams of consciousness. But don't think her paintings are entirely spontaneous: The artist is downright methodical.

Atherton sifts through thousands of photographs from her global travels for images that stir her imagination. She cuts and pastes, scans and resizes, Photoshops and prints, creating intricate collages that serve as detailed maps for these ethereal environments.
Scott Kenneally