"SOL" - 522 W 19th Street, New York

SLAG&RX is pleased to present SOL, an immersive installation by Luiza Gottschalk featuring 17 paintings shown against walls painted in deep wood tones and set on a reflective metallic-gold floor. Curated by Simon Watson, SOL opens April 9 and runs through May 16, 2026.

Like a ray of sunlight penetrating a forest glade, Gottschalk explores the sun ("sol" in Portuguese) by weaving together elements from two recent museum projects: the primordial woods of GLADE at the National Museum in Brasília (2022) and the radiant illumination of SOL, first staged at Parque das Ruínas in Rio de Janeiro (2024).

Born in São Paulo and raised in the Serra da Mantiqueira, Gottschalk channels vivid childhood memories of dense forest into multilayered compositions of color, texture, and affect. Seen from the vantage of a child facing towering trees, her lush landscapes heighten the senses and evoke wonder.

In her recent publication "Troposphere Shared – Artists Brazil China" author and international art historian Sarina Tang, writes, "A first reaction to Luiza Gottschalk's paintings is the sensation of energy in motion. The choreography of gesture in the very act of painting produces fluid images in which memories, landscapes and emotions seem to surface."

Gottschalk's increasingly abstract paintings achieve richly tactile surfaces through a distinctive process: cotton cloths are laid onto primed canvas and pigment is worked in by hand, building depth and an intimate physical rapport between artist and medium.

Curator Simon Watson observes, "Gottschalk has evolved a painting practice rooted in the Global South, where movement and meaning emerge from an amalgamation of cultures. Music, motion, and dance are integral to her artistic experience." This perspective highlights the cultural richness and dynamism animating her work, inviting layered engagement.

About the Artist

Luiza Gottschalk holds degrees in Performing Arts (Célia Helena, 2001), Fine Arts (FAAP, 2014) and a postgraduate degree in Visual Arts (FAAP, 2018). She won the 46th and 47th Annual Art Prizes at the Museu de Arte Brasileira (MAB). Solo exhibitions include SOL (Parque das Ruínas, Rio de Janeiro, 2024), Ensaio Aberto (Praça das Artes, São Paulo, 2019) and Clareira (Museu Nacional da República, Brasília, 2022). Selected group shows include Artists at Work (ISCP, New York, 2020), Contemporary Artistic Practices (MAB-FAAP, São Paulo, 2018), Surrealist Reverberations (MAB-FAAP, 2024) and Sublime Spirit (Marianne Boesky, New York, 2024). Residencies: LUZ_AIR and ISCP-NY (2020, 2021, 2023), Siena Art Institute (2016) and Agora Collective, Berlin (2012).

About the Curator

Born in Canada (1955) and raised between England and the United States, Simon Watson is an independent curator and arts educator based in New York and São Paulo. He has conceived and curated more than 350 exhibitions for galleries and museums and focuses on identifying and advancing visual artists with outstanding potential; many he championed early in their careers are now represented by leading galleries worldwide.

Installation Photos by @onwhitewall.