“Deceive and Reward”: Talia Levitt Talks with Art Lovers through her Work
The artist formalized her ongoing representation by Rachel Uffner Gallery in the Lower East Side
Talia Levitt was raised and lives in Brooklyn. A third generation New Yorker, of European Jewish descent, her maternal grandmother worked in the garment industry, and her paternal grandfather was raised in his family’s laundromat. Her practice reflects a connection to textiles and garments in its materiality, while New York City life is its narrative. Talia explores perception and perspective, at times emulating Roman mosaics and quilting, and at other times abstraction and optical art. Illusion, perspective, and textural sensations all play a significant role in her practice. While the aesthetics evoke a long tradition of textile art and embroidery patterns, Talia’s subject matter is very current, reflective of her daily life in the city, filled with “New York natives,” like squirrels, pigeons, and subway scenes.
Talia considers her work differently from what is in vogue in the New York Art scene, although she is very aware of what is going on around her; her art goes against the current trends, where novelty and immediacy take the stage over actual aesthetic research. Talia’s works require a lot from their viewers, appreciation of the details, patience, and, most importantly, time. The artist is aware of that, and that is why she wants to compensate the patience of her spectators with the details and the richness of her compositions, which slowly unveil their narratives and figures, almost frozen outside of time and space.
Visiting the artist in her studio in Brooklyn, we exchanged some thoughts on her art and the broader art market.
