Nancy Lorenz
GAVLAK is pleased to announce Spotlight: Nancy Lorenz, a focused solo presentation showcasing the latest works from Lorenz's renowned Elements series, alongside hand-forged bronze tables. This Spotlight presentation follows Lorenz’s exhibition of four monumental paintings, in partnership with The Alpha Workshops at Powerhouse Arts, Brooklyn; and the release of her book and series of multiples, Cieli e Terra Nuova.
The Elements in this exhibition delve into nature’s fleeting beauty through luxurious and abstract compositions, offering a meditative exploration of texture, light, and form. Lorenz’s use of materials such as palladium leaf, mother-of-pearl inlay, lacquer, and resin serves as both a literal and metaphorical bridge between the natural world and artistic expression. François Jonquet says of this series, “An alchemist who has made the periodic table of the elements into the matrix of her work, the artist tirelessly seeks to push further visually, to go elsewhere by the combination and juxtaposition of the elements.” Works like Rain (2025) and Sea and Sky (2025) particularly illustrate this connection, where the materials themselves evoke the very landscapes they represent—shimmering with the impermanence of rain or the vastness of the ocean and sky.
These works seamlessly integrate Eastern and Western influences, drawing on Lorenz’s deep engagement with Japanese craftsmanship and European art traditions. In her work, the materials used are precious and ordinary: mother of pearl, white gold, palladium; cardboard and jute. Lorenz’s ongoing experimentation allows evidence of the process, expanding and celebrating the concepts of decoration and fine art. In doing so, she balances the timeless with the contemporary, offering a unique perspective on materiality and beauty that transcends traditional boundaries. The result is a body of work that both celebrates and contemplates the fragility of the natural world, while embodying a profound meditation on the forces that shape our understanding of land, form, and the fleeting qualities of life itself.
About the Artist
Lorenz is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow who lives and works in New York City with a studio in Long Island City, Queens. After living in Japan, Nancy Lorenz earned a BFA in Painting and Printmaking at the University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art. In 1988 she received her MFA in Painting from the Tyler School of Art, studying in Philadelphia and Rome. Her work has been exhibited at numerous museums and galleries, including a mid-career survey at the San Diego Museum of Art in 2018. Lorenz’s work can be seen in public spaces around the world - including Chanel, Dior, and Tiffany’s stores; the San Diego Museum of Art; the Museum of Arts and Design; Portland Art Museum; and the New York Public Library. Lorenz’s style is characterized by its references to expressionistic abstraction and use of decorative craftsmanship, as well as the juxtaposition of luxurious and everyday materials.
About Spotlight
Spotlight is GAVLAK’s series of focused solo presentations, each designed to illuminate key moments or themes within an artist’s practice. Running alongside the gallery’s regular programming, Spotlight highlights pivotal works and provides a platform for experimental formats, including in situ projects and public installations. By delving deeply into specific facets of an artist’s career, the series expands traditional exhibition models and reimagines how art is experienced and contextualized.