FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2002
ART REVIEW
A Profusion of Painting, Very Much Alive
By ROBERTA SMITH
"Floating Touch", mixed media 16"x20",
2002
(...)
Emna Zghal
Two shows reflect painting's closeness to other mediums.
Emna Zghal, a Tunisian-born artist, shows diaphanous mixed-media
works in her first New York show, at the Scene Gallery
on the Lower East Side. The strongest are lushly tinted
woodblock prints mounted on canvas and finished with touches
of vivid color, both painted and stenciled. With fuzzy
grids, swirling patterns and woodgrain at the fore, the
surfaces resemble textiles and walls, but the added highlights
bring intimations of mysterious landscapes. These surfaces
could be less refined, but their quiet pulsing power and
sophisticated technique are very promising.