Sarah Ball's subjects look right through you. They stare, expressionless and yet so full of stern and powerful life, they almost impose their will onto the viewer. They are stunning in person as they sort of take over your psyche as surrealist realism. Her use of colors are not human but full of humanity. And she has the ability to reverberate tension in simplicity.
Currently on view in London, Stephen Friedman Gallery is pleased to present its first solo exhibition by the British artist, Ball. Each as subtle blocks of color, where Ball can navigate between hues, or sharp changes like black and blue, and do it with such softness. What was jarring was that, even though each subject is staring right at you, one work in particular, Prudence, looks off to something beyond you, just right past your left ear, and that stopped me in my tracks. That sort of change also brought me to Masha, a brilliant and standout work that has all the best qualities of Ball's brush and colorwork, but just a powerful and fierce look of determination and sensitivty in the gaze. It's once again a beautiful series from an artist who continues to make power portraiture. —Evan Pricco
