SIRENS Ellen Antico

Ellen Antico (b. 1989 in Sydney, AU; lives and works in New York, US) presents her fourth solo exhibition, SIRENS, with Ruttkowski;68 in Paris.

Ellen Antico’s new body of work SIRENS comprises a riot of cherubic bodies that beckon and deflect. Some of these dazedly rendered forms appear caught, as if ambushed by the sudden flash of a camera amid a frenzied bacchanal, in a remarkable moment of stillness. Others coyly meet the viewer’s eye with an unflinching look that is both knowing and unnerving. The sensory points: eyes, hands, mouth, are most clearly articulated and almost cartoonish at times. Meanwhile the many faces appear watery, as if seen reflected in a puddle or down a shimmering well. They are sirens of the deep, jailed below a liquid surface, cooing for liberation.

As expressive as these paintings are, with their frenetic line work, delicate layering of color and limb, and piercing glances, they are equally distinguished by that which they withhold. In other words, these entangled figures and their cloudy existence could be seen as a conspiracy of bodies.

Indeed, there is an undeniable whiff of mischief lurking in these paintings. While at first glance this mischief may appear as innocent as a debaucherous night out, it actually mounts a gentle challenge to longstanding power imbalances surrounding art and gender. These paintings not only interrogate the evolution of the male gaze, but the very act of looking itself, raising questions around agency, complicity, and engaging with feminine forms.

Written by Connor Goodwin

 

Opening reception       23/05/2026       6–8 pm

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