NEW YORK, NY.- Alexander Berggruen is presenting A Direct Response to Light: 21st Century Painting, curated by Dexter Wimberly.

A Direct Response to Light: 21st Century Painting brings together a diverse group of artists who use figurative painting both to tell personal stories and to reflect the times in which we live. This exhibition highlights the continued importance of painting in the 21st century, an era when technological innovations often relegate traditional art forms to the sidelines. These artists demonstrate that painting is anything but obsolete; instead, it proves itself a dynamic, adaptive, and resonant medium, capable of addressing critical contemporary issues and imagining possibilities for our collective future.

In Tunji Adeniyi-Jones’s work Orange Figures In Orbit II, disconnected limbs appear among bulbous leaves, and figures blend into one another or at times merge with the background—defying the viewer’s attempt to fully grasp them. Orientation is found by following sinuous lines, shifting gazes, and sidelong glances of these celestial forms. From Adeniyi-Jones’s perspective, these beings exist outside time and place, with his choices of motif and color placing them in multiple locales at once. Their ethereal, ever-shifting nature mirrors the constant flux and fragmentation that define our contemporary experience, reflecting a collective sense of unresolved tension. Adeniyi-Jones’s interwoven figures thus serve as a visual metaphor for a world caught between changing realities, capturing both the wonder and uncertainty of our present moment.

Katherine Bradford’s Yellow Balance Acrobats continues her ongoing series inspired by circus performers, whose colorful costumes, artistry, and communal nomadic existence fascinate her. Their ability to fly through the air represents the ultimate sense of freedom and buoyancy; accordingly, a trapeze appears in the painting, underscoring that weightless energy. Bradford’s omission of facial features strongly highlights the performer’s sense of anonymity and enriches the painting’s dreamlike qualities. In Bradford’s Swim Team at Sea, the ship might serve as the swimmers’ home on the water—or it may pose a threat as an enemy vessel. Viewers must decide whether the boat symbolizes safety or danger, an ambiguity akin to how many women regard their roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers. We cannot see the swimmers’ faces, nor do we know who watches them from the ship. This tension between security and threat animates the painting with a sense of uncertainty.

Hulda Guzmán’s painting The Fire Keeper depicts a ceremonial gathering of diverse creatures: a herd of cows, a cat, a dog, a child, and a fantastical glowing feline-like being, all encircling a bonfire. The latter extraordinary creature earns its title by interacting with the flames through its tail, suggesting a trance-like state in which fire becomes a catalyst for transformation. United in ceremony, the scene honors Nature’s life-giving power and wisdom, embodying the notion of different species converging to forge a collective intention of connection. The painting thus evokes deep respect for Nature as both transcendent guide and nurturing mother. In the face of looming environmental challenges, such reverence is essential to remind us that our own survival depends on the health and harmony of the natural world we inhabit.

Heidi Hahn’s Untitled (With Affection) #1 and Untitled (With Affection) #2 continue her investigation into representing bodies in ways that emphasize the complexity of gender. These works shield the figure from straightforward portrayal, turning instead to distortions that challenge traditional depictions of femininity. Hahn focuses on the formal qualities of painting—composition, color, texture, and line—allowing the material itself to drive meaning. Rather than confining herself to figuration, Hahn uses abstraction to propose alternative narratives, exploring the body’s mystery as a new reality while highlighting paint’s capacity to shift our understanding of representation.

Marcus Jahmal creates surreal narratives that simultaneously document our present moment and assume a timeless quality. Drawing on a broad range of inspirations—including photographs, sketches, and speculative events—his paintings fluidly traverse genres, from urban architectural interiors to still lifes, landscapes, and portraits such as Day Walker and Animal Eyes. By composing scenes directly on the canvas, Jahmal brings to life imaginary yet eerily recognizable worlds. This allows him to grapple with themes spanning dreams, folkloric Americana, and the effects of gentrification and urban living.

In Tajh Rust’s An Undoing, the artist continues his exploration of representational painting by depicting a figure in motion rather than a static pose. The figure’s face is turned away and further obscured as she undoes her braids, emphasizing the vulnerability of transformation. Through capturing this dynamic process of doing and undoing in a static painting, Rust examines notions of visibility and the intimate act of change.

Nadia Waheed’s work is both allegorical and autobiographical, offering just enough information to convey meaning while leaving space for personal interpretation. Each painting seems to develop its own “life force”: some remain subdued, whereas others demand a more intense engagement. Waheed prefers that her paintings retain a sense of human input rather than appearing too “resolved.” In Dream Mythology I, she addresses feelings of isolation and the sense of being trapped in a particular timeline—bearing witness to the state of the world. The painting Formula LP contrasts this by evoking calm and underscoring the importance of close relationships, reflecting a recognition of genuine connection and peace.

Collectively, these artists illuminate a broad spectrum of contemporary experiences through the human figure, each exploring themes that intertwine the personal, the political, and the fantastical. Tunji Adeniyi-Jones’s ethereal bodies capture the transitory nature of identity, embracing flux and fragmentation that mirror our uncertain world. Katherine Bradford uses the anonymity of circus performers and swimmers to highlight tensions between freedom and threat, reflecting the complexities of womanhood. Hulda Guzmán’s ceremonial scenes celebrate Nature as a powerful catalyst for collective transformation and reverence. Heidi Hahn confronts conventions of gender and representation by letting painting’s materiality guide new narratives of the body. Marcus Jahmal fuses surreal storytelling with the realities of urban life, merging personal history and sociopolitical commentary in his vibrant tableaux. Tajh Rust’s depiction of a figure in the act of undoing braids reveals the vulnerability and intimacy of change. Finally, Nadia Waheed’s allegorical works—oscillating between quiet introspection and energetic intensity—underscore painting’s ability to chronicle isolation, connection, and the significance of human relationships. Together, these artists affirm that painting remains a vital, adaptive medium for grappling with the shifting landscapes of our current century.

--- Dexter Wimberly

Tunji Adeniyi-Jones (b. 1992, London) received an MFA from Yale University School of Art and a BFA from The Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford. His work is represented in numerous international public collections including: Carré d’Art – Musée d’Art Contemporain de Nîmes, France; FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY; Government Art Collection, London, UK; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA; K11, Hong Kong, CN; Longlati Foundation, Shanghai, CN; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; National Museum of Norway, Oslo; and Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, among many others. Adeniyi-Jones is represented by White Cube and his work has also been shown at FLAG Art Foundation, NY; Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland; Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town; Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Green Family Art Foundation, Dallas, TX; and Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC, among many others. The artist lives and works in New York.

Katherine Bradford (b. 1942, New York, NY) has held solo exhibitions at institutions including the Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg, Derneburg, Germany; Portland Museum of Art, ME; Frye Museum, Seattle, WA; The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, TX; Sarah Moody Gallery of Art, Tuscaloosa, AL; and Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, ME; to name a few. Bradford’s work is included in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, France; The Brooklyn Museum, New York, NY; Dallas Museum of Art, TX; Portland Museum, ME; Menil Collection, Houston, TX; and the Portland Art Museum, OR, among others. She is represented by CANADA, New York and kaufmann repetto, New York and Milan, Italy. Bradford has taught at the Yale School of Art; Skowhegan, ME; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; and the Fashion Institute of Technology, NY. The artist lives and works in New York, NY.

Hulda Guzmán (b. 1984, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) received a BA from Altos de Chavón School of Design in the Dominican Republic and went on to study photography and mural painting at the National School of Visual Arts, Mexico. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Baltimore Museum of Art, MD; Dallas Museum of Art, TX; Denver Art Museum, CO; He Art Museum (HEM), Guangdong, CN; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), CA; Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), São Paulo, Brazil; Pérez Art Museum Miami, FL; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), CA, among others. Guzmán has been featured in the Dominican Republic’s pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. Guzmán has shown with Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK; Alexander Berggruen, NY; Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA; Dio Horia Gallery, Mykonos; Arte BA, Buenos Aires; Galería Machete, Mexico City; Gallery Ariane Paffrath Dusseldorf; and at institutions such as the Denver Art Museum, CO; Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo; the Pérez Art Museum Miami, FL; Museo de Arte de São Paulo, Brazil; Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo, Costa Rica; and Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, DC. The artist lives and works in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Heidi Hahn (b. 1982, Los Angeles, CA) received an MFA in Painting from Yale University and BFA from The Cooper Union, New York, NY. Her work is included in renowned museum collections such as the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Dallas Museum of Art, Moderna Museet Stockholm, High Museum of Art in Atlanta, New Orleans Museum of Art, Kadist Foundation Paris, New Century Art Foundation Shanghai, Philara Collection, and Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection, Helsinki. Hahn’s paintings were presented in internationally renowned museum exhibitions such as at LSU Museums L.A, High Art Museums Atlanta, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and New Orleans Museum of Art. Her residencies and fellowships include MacDowell Colony residency, Peterborough, NH; Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA; Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY, and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, ME, among others. The artist currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Marcus Jahmal (b. 1990, New York, NY) is a self-taught painter, born and raised in Brooklyn, where he continues to live and work. Jahmal has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and internationally, including a solo exhibition in Paris, titled GOMBO, curated by Loïc LeGall at CAC Passerelle Brest in 2019. Last year Jahmal presented a solo exhibition at the Allentown Art Museum in Pennsylvania, curated by Max Weintraub. Notable group exhibitions include: The Echo of Picasso, Museo Picasso Málaga, Malaga, Spain (2023); So let us all be citizens too, curated by Ebony L. Hayes, David Zwirner, London, England (2023); Fire Figure Fantasy, Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, Miami, FL (2022); Figurative Vocabularies, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego, CA (2022); The New American Galleries inaugural exhibition, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA (2022); Artists for NYC, Hauser and Wirth, New York, NY (2020); 100 Drawings, The Drawing Center, New York, NY (2020); and Disembodiment, organized by Mariane Ibrahim, UTA artist space, Los Angeles, CA (2019). His work is included in the permanent collections of the Allentown Art Museum, ICA Miami, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and the Walker Art Museum, among others both private and public.

Tajh Rust (b. 1989, Brooklyn, NY) received an MFA from Yale University, School of Art and a BFA from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York, NY. Rust’s work has been shown at Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA; Matthew Brown Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Harvey B. Gantt Center, Charlotte, NC; Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO; Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, FL; Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT; and Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, Brooklyn, NY, among others. His work is included in the public collections of Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, The Bunker Artspace, Miami, FL; and Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL. He was an artist in residence at Silver Art Projects, New York, NY and a recipient of The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, among other accolades. The artist lives and works in New York.

Nadia Waheed (b. 1992, Al Khobar, Eastern Province, SA) received a BFA in 2015 from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist has held solo exhibitions at Gallery 1957, London, UK and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Nicodim, Los Angeles, CA; Arsenal Contemporary, New York, NY; BEERS London, London, UK; and The Museum of Human Achievement, Austin, TX; among others. Her work will be included in a forthcoming group exhibition at Ogunquit Museum, Maine. Waheed has been featured in numerous group shows including at The Green Family Art Foundation, Dallas, TX; Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY; Lyles & King, New York, NY; Andrea Festa Fine Art, Rome, Italy; Spoke Art, Honolulu, HI; Bellevue Arts Museum, Seattle, WA; and ARC Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. Waheed lives and works in Austin, TX.