Follow The Nuns Litany (2024)

Artspace is pleased to present a bold new limited edition of 40 silkscreen prints by Ana Benaroya, entitledThe Nuns Litany.

Radiant and electric,The Nuns Litanyflips classic portraiture on its head with acidic color and a muscular, confident woman nude. Benaroya builds upon her childhood love of graphic novels and action figures as well as her mastery of illustration to create a new queer universe in her vibrant paintings and prints. Each series of work centers on specific themes, but their subjects are always robust, raucous women in the nude who project brute strength and power.

Bright vibrating colors really bring me joy. Playing with color brings me joy. When I see a work of art that has the most perfect color harmonies or color dissonance it literally makes my heart skip a beat in excitement. Ana BenaroyaThe Nuns Litanypays homage to indie band Magnetic Fieldss song of the same name, animating its imagined central character with personal references to bring her to life.

I think because I am always depicting nude women there’s no way to escape the lens of sexualityKnowing this, I sometimes embrace it and sometimes try to reject it. Being a lesbian I think adds an additional layer to this because not only am I depicting nude women, which has a huge art historical precedent, but I am also depicting aspects of my own desire. I am both trying to free the woman nude from the weight of all this historical (and contemporary) imagery – and also impart my own vision or desire onto it. Ana Benaroya

Edition of 40

This work is signed and numbered on the front by the artist.

13-color silkscreen with glitter layers

Size is 16.00 x 12.75 in or 40.6 x 32.4 cm