P.P.O.W (New York) / Booth E16
The gallery presents several of the artist’s works, one of them inspired by a historical piece by Winslow Homer, Prisoner Fronts, which was painted the year following the American civil war (1866). Each character is given an imaginary role : the general of the Unionist party, Francis Channing Barlow, is portrayed as an androgynous being, while Arabella Freeman, a landowner from Virgina - whose features are inspired by those of Harkness's partner - is depicted as a seductive force. Mixing reality and fiction, Harkness analyzes the relevance of historical narratives and power structures in the post-colonial era, in this case, under the perspective of interracial relationships. Her complex and detailed compositions, inspired by those of the old masters, such as Bosch, Bruegel or Altdorfer, often demand a year of work. The artist was represented by Mary Boone's gallery from 2003 up until its closing this past February.
