Shag “Donna Con Bambino”
Josh “Shag” Agle premiered his latest series, “Donna Con Bambino,” at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York City Friday night. The event was packed and nearly every painting was sold in advance of the opening. Donna Con Bambino strays a bit from Shag’s last New York show (”Before the Eviction,” 2004), and features his trademark mysterious women sauntering about as disaster strikes on the television.
“There’s a theme running through the paintings where people, especially women, aren’t reacting to bad situations and just staying cool–which is a trait I admire sometimes,” Shag told Life In a Bungalo. “I wanted to do show based around that theme. I wanted to do domestic scenes, instead of scenes taking place in nightclubs or bars, I wanted it set in their own homes. I also wanted a pet there to make it feel more homey and comfortable. I also wanted to symbolize the outside world on the television screen.”
To make the show even more special, Shag changed things up big time by presenting a second series of large-scale canvas paintings depicting an abstract section of the paintings in the main gallery. While massive in size, the works were set at affordable prices, and art lovers seemed intrigued by the new direction.
A final gallery featured artist proofs of some of his most famous serigraphs, including “The Apocalypse has been Postponed” and “Vinegar Girl.” The show runs from Nov. 18 to Dec. 23.
