Avery Singer’s first solo exhibition: Free Fall at the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Mayfair just a short walk away from the popular shopping destination of Oxford Street.

The exhibition is centred around Avery Singer’s experience at 14 years old with the tragedy of 9/11. The exhibition is running until the 22nd December 2023 and is a must see for those particularly interested in modern art or American history.

 

Upon arriving to the gallery you are greeted by a faux elevator bank at the entrance, which immediately creates an environment not of a gallery but that of a typical American office. Singer continues this setting through to the first gallery room through the interior design, the carpet throughout the gallery has a corporate feel and the majority of the walls are whitewashed, plain and windowless. The setting feels particularly impactful as you feel placed in a building similar to the one where 9/11 took place. The setting reflects the meaning of the painting and this concept feels unique to Singer’s exhibition and makes the paintings more interesting and fascinating.

 

Her exhibition showcases portraits of the famous faces of 9/11 like Marcy Borders and Rachel Uchitel, alongside her paintings of other scenes and objects from her memories of the 9/11 tragedy. The combination of the portraits and other paintings for example the police cars, give you a snapshot glimpse of the people, setting and what was going on during the tragic 9/11 incident. 

Avery created the portraits using a series of images taken of her subjects and adding extra elements to them digitally using computer models and animation. The portraits combine the subject’s faces along with a geometric grid, and negative space caused by rubber removed from the print. The way that Singer combines traditional mediums like acrylic with the modern animation technology gives her paintings such a unique feel. Sarah Reinecke said that “the paintings were intriguing and unlike anything that I have seen before.”

 

According to Sarah Reinecke “What I found most fascinating was the way that [Singer] presented [her] paintings. I thought the way that the gallery was set up to convey an office environment really makes her paintings so incredibly moving.” If you are an art lover or interested in American history, this is a unmissable exhibition, unlike any other.