Martyn Cross: Gods Shaped of Mud
30 October - 20 December 2025
Marianne Boesky Gallery
509 West 24th Street
Marianne Boesky is pleased to present Gods Shaped of Mud, an exhibition of new work by Martyn Cross (b. 1975 in Yate, United Kingdom).
Informed by literature, medieval wall painting, Cross' own life, Jungian theory, and a deep connection to printed books, Cross' dreamy psychological landscapes are populated by creatures (alternately imagined and real -- one painting features Cross' cat, Twiglet) and myriad mythological and literary references. Borrowing a distinctive, muted color palette from the ancient coastal landscapes of southwestern England, Cross layers scratched, scrubbed, and dry-brushed pigment to yield weathered and worn textures that conjure the luminosity of medieval manuscripts and frescoes.
The paintings are accompanied by a series of very small scale (approx. 2 x 3.5") drawings; said the artist: "each drawing created is a kind of 'living work', drawn in various locations (studio, home, on the bus, sat on a bench, etc) and then carried around in my pocket for several months, becoming imbued with the oils from my hand, stained by various pocket snacks, scratched by my house keys..."
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More information is in the above-linked press release, and a preview of works on view is below. See the Dropbox folder linked above to download high-resolution image files. Artwork information is in each image’s file title. Image reuse must be exclusively in association with press coverage of the exhibition, with the credit line “copyright of the artist and courtesy of Marianne Boesky Gallery”
