Mr. Salomon Emquies presents us with graceful imaginary forms against coarse yet subtlety delicate backgrounds with his recent opening Michael Kohn Gallery. His wise choice in providing a mysterious sense to each one, with their graceful extensions and pseudo-psychedelic movements which swirl in a way which is not taxing, gives us that taste of serenity. This is what beauty ought to be: softening.

Salomon Emquies, “Plus ou Moins,” 2022, acrylic on canvas, 28 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Michael Kohn Gallery. Copyright Salomon Emquies.

Salomon Emquies, “Selective Balm,” 2022, acrylic and adhesive on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

And in this impression of soft, to lighten the glares of the beholder, to inspire a greater spiritual motion inside the body, as opposed to its constancy in anxieties – for more? – we have that grounding, that permanent presence of what already is: To Be is to know being beautiful.

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.

(Hamlet by William Shakespeare)

There is no doubt when one is. It is in this distance from such a memory of primal certainty, of successful focus, which can appear to be opaque were we not drawn to that immediate sensation of rest, calm; a selective balm for our unique and exclusive pains and sorrows; those secret memories of twists and turns to give us a fuller understanding of what the fine artist aims to be: a healer.

Salomon Emquies, “Flash is Fast Flash is Cool,” 2023, acrylic and adhesive on canvas, 60 x 48 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Michael Kohn Gallery. Copyright Salomon Emquies.

The general creative choices in the neutral tones helps us further gather the evidence of an artist seeking to balance the irrational in ourselves; that stirring that muddies and not crystallizes. How best to be but to be at permanent ease?

This is the experience of beauty. This is High Art extending with neutral originality the boundaries of healthy imagination. And if it is healthy, it must be good.

For more information, please contact the gallery:

Michael Kohn Gallery

Karys Judd, Director
karys@kohngallery.com

1227 North Highland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
T 323 461 3311