440 Gallery is pleased to present Dark Matter, new work by Ellen Chuse, a painter whose explorations of organic forms in nature and saturated color have been shown extensively in Brooklyn and beyond. This show is a collection of abstract acrylic paintings on paper - some very large and others quite small. Many are hung unframed to emphasize the tactile quality of the paper itself and allowing the viewer to engage more intimately with the layered color.

Many questions arise for the viewer in Dark Matter. What am I looking at? Is it a form or a void? How can a form that seems heavy appear to float? How can forms which initially appear black be filled with color? Where are we? Ambiguity of scale and place are central to her work. The answers lie within.

Emerging from Chuse’s sense of desolation after the 2016 election, these paintings gradually evolved from feelings of anger and despair into meditations on form and color. Forms which have been part of her visual vocabulary for decades are here pared down to their essence. Even in their simplicity there is a dance - forms pushed together or held apart by invisible forces while floating on fields of saturated color. As always, Chuse wants viewers to bring personal associations and experiences to each piece. These paintings can feel ominous or playful depending on the mood of the viewer.

Dark Matter on a Red Field expands to fill 9 feet of wall with a series of dark forms dancing dynamically with one another while Hover: Blue, a later painting with two quieter forms, feels meditative - almost somber. These are powerful paintings which engage the patient viewer on many levels. Exploring the emotional resonance of color is as important to the artist as the images she employs.