"My father lowered into the ground. My sister floating lifeless in the ocean. The shock, the horror, the back-to-back grief, and the chilling void of their absence. They were on my mind as I was looking at Katherine Bradford's painting "Moonlight" (2025) in her exhibition at Canada Gallery in Manhattan. It's a woman hovering in space, coupled with what could be her ghost. Her features are well-defined, a rare gesture by Bradford, whose figures tend to be faceless."
"Moons cycle, suns go up and down, waves rise and crash. Fathers and mothers, sisters andbrothers, and friends and foes swim, fly, float, deliberate, commune, and cope. Back here, I have a second child who looks so much like my father that I can almost hear him ask, "Do you need any money?" My niece gets married, a bittersweet moment without her mom by her side. Katherine Bradford is a once-in-a-generation artist. Her work shimmers with magic and kindness."
Katherine Bradford, age 83, presents paintings that address life, death, and mutual support with heightened personal resonance. The painting "Moonlight" (2025) depicts a hovering woman paired with a possible ghost, set against twinkling stars and a bright full moon, conveying tranquility and acceptance. The exhibition strings together images of cyclical nature—moons, suns, waves—and familial connections and absences. Scenes evoke burial, drowning, financial memory, and bittersweet family milestones. The work radiates magic, kindness, and a sense of communal care. The exhibition runs at Canada Gallery through December 13.
Read at Hyperallergic
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