Out of Time
Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. – William Shakespeare
Mindy Solomon is pleased to introduce the work of Los Angeles based artist Brittany Fanning for her Miami Gallery solo exhibition debut. Exploring a new conversation in her work, Fanning opens the door to fresh narrative possibilities.
“This year, I am experimenting with painting, pushing my work in a new direction. I am reevaluating my use of color, working strictly in grisaille or black and white to amplify the interplay of light, shadow, texture, and form. At the same time, I am redefining my relationship with the human figure by painting statues—forms that suggest presence yet remain impersonal, detached from life. These figures also reference antiquity, bridging the past and present. Henri Rousseau, a favorite artist of mine, was fascinated with the natural world, specifically untamed environments. While inspired by Rousseau, my work focuses on tamed spaces, exploring the tension between nature and human intervention—how we curate and control our surroundings. I am particularly considering the popular ‘indoor/outdoor’ living of Los Angeles.
Stripping away color allows me to focus on atmosphere. Influenced by the restrained palettes of Odilon Redon’s Black Period and the haunting stillness of Giorgio de Chirico’s empty towns, my paintings evoke a sense of detachment—landscapes and still lifes that feel both familiar and strange. The absence of human figures heightens the suggestion of something unspoken, as if the viewer has arrived just after an event or is witnessing a scene that exists outside of time.
Giorgio de Chirico used town squares to create a sense of enigma, I use table settings. Historically, still life paintings and table arrangements symbolized wealth and abundance. My compositions, however, are sparse, punctuated by long shadows reminiscent of de Chirico’s deserted plazas. They are a haunting and contemplative reinterpretation of modern still lifes.” The absence of human beings in each painting makes them all the more intriguing. With a baroque sensibility that feels almost garish, each work showcases an abundance of splendors that appears like gilded decay. Slithering lizards and a peeping cat remind us of the ephemerality of things. Like most things in life, everything eventually falls into shadow. With Out of Time we are reminded of just how precious every moment within light is.
About Brittany Fanning
Brittany Fanning grew up in the southeastern United States. After graduating from the University of North Georgia, she moved to South Korea in 2015. She spent seven years there, painting the neighborhoods around her, with a particular focus on the contrast between new Brutalist structures and traditional hanoks. After relocating to Los Angeles in 2022, her work began to draw inspiration from the city’s architecture, flora, and fauna. From 2024, she began a series of paintings in black and white inspired by De Chirico, Henri Rousseau, and Pablo Picasso’s black and white paintings.
Fanning began exhibiting in Korea in 2018 and has since participated in group and solo exhibitions at Steve Turner, Los Angeles (2024); The Lodge, Los Angeles (2023); OTI, Los Angeles (2023); and Galerie BHAK, Seoul (2022). In 2025, she will have solo exhibitions at Mindy Solomon, Miami, and Artemin, Taipei. She has been featured in Vogue, Portray Mag, and Type 7.
