Defining and innovating new methods of application, New York artist, Joanne Handler, elevates her pieces in rich textured layers. Honoring her long-standing career, Saphira & Ventura Gallery has introduced her work to serene Venice during its renowned biennale, and will pay homage in an upcoming solo exhibition, In My Life, curated by Alcinda Saphira.

An artist of many marvels, Joanne Handler’s past includes years practicing fine art photography in New York as well as an exploration into abstract painting where compelling narratives surface amid the multidimensional character of her work. Her paintings go beyond self-examination to respond to current events within the framework of both global and personal history while exploring such themes as memory,  perspective, self-determination, community and motherhood. Her layered and textured mixed media paintings subtly address notions of inner conflict, building on a series of oppositions and the blurred lines that exist between them- light vs. dark, hope vs. despair. The Morning After, for example, is splashed with pumice, enamel, and acrylic together with photographic transfers creating a picturesque scenery of figures emerging from the dark textural sea.

Self-reflection being the driving force behind Handler’s newest work, her most recent series uses the unbridled freedom of abstract expressionism to lay her ground, providing her with the perfect starting point. She then incorporates figuration and photo transfers culled from her many years as a photographer, occasionally adding small objects, either found or of personal importance. By integrating these elements into her latest paintings she brings together her past and her present in the context of an uncertain future.  Such are the characteristics in Handler’s works, which in its attention to form and figure, unites that iconic New York abstraction inspired by Roth and Pollock with a contemporaneous approach to the figurative tradition. Indeed, Handler’s work has been exhibited during the 2022 Venice Biennale as part of Saphira & Ventura gallery’s Side By Side series. The artist has also been featured in the Coral Springs Museum’s Daydreaming exhibition as well as a number of New York exhibitions where her works have been acquired in private collections. Today, Handler still focuses on exploring different methods, linking the abstract tradition with her own interpretations of the figurative form. 

Saphira & Ventura is a global talent management network focused on art, design and architecture as well as alternative forms of expression such as NFTs, its mission is to promote and exhibit cutting edge artists, designers and architects in a contemporary and alternative setting.

Curated by Alcinda Saphira 

Production: Diego Ponce / Albert Valente / Liz Carvalho / André Machado 
Design: Camila Crivelenti