Alifesize trompe l’oeil painting of the real-life lift at Camden Arts Centre opens this exhibition by the Canadian artist Allison Katz. Its doors are agape, revealing a deep silver box within. Its metal sheen gives the work a sense of photorealism, but it’s the 3D depth that implores you to step inside. It’s a fitting welcome for a show entitled Artery; the lift instantly stirs up thoughts of transportation, liminality and portals.

Katz, 41, was born in Montreal and now lives in London. Her whimsical work, thematically fluid and exploring the conventions of traditional painting, has seen her become a rising figure in contemporary art. She was shortlisted for the Max Mara art prize for women in 2020 and featured in last year’s acclaimed Mixing It Up: Painting Today show at the Hayward Gallery. Artery, previously at Nottingham Contemporary, is Katz’s first solo UK exhibition, and arrives with bags full of her favourite recurring tropes and motifs: monkeys, eggs and more.

Katz has a thing about cockerels. In The Cockfather, a chicken’s body has been restructured to the shape of a dish that holds three eggs, a comical rumination. There are also lots of cabbages. She paints them in varying luminous green shades and sits them upright on tables. At the side of each veiny vegetable is the silhouette of a man’s face. They’re pretty images, but the joke is in working out what they are. Are these actually still lifes or portraits of the artist’s shy partner?

Read More