Elizabeth Abel

Hollis Taggart Downtown is pleased to present Acquiescence, a solo exhibition by Elizabeth Abel. The exhibition marks her first solo presentation with the gallery since joining its roster in 2025, as well as her debut solo exhibition in the United States. Elizabeth approaches the act of painting as a process of excavation. Working quickly and instinctively in acrylic on canvas, she unearths sensations, fragments and forms that trace human presence and absence. The exhibition will be on view from April 10 – May 10, 2026, with an opening reception on Friday, April 10, from 6-8pm at 109 Norfolk Street.

Elizabeth describes her approach as “feeling around,” searching for an emotion, a memory, an instinct not yet fully articulated. In this sense, Acquiescence speaks to the act of surrender, a complete submission to these internal pulls. Painting becomes a form of catharsis, a release as much as a making. After stretching the canvas and saturating it with water, she approaches painting in concentrated bursts, revisiting the canvas in focussed intervals of around 20-30 minutes as the work develops. Alongside this process, she keeps a sketchbook of studies informed by still life and figuration, ideas that feed into the evolution of her paintings.

She cites the dynamic brushwork of Martha Jungwirth and the atmospheric, emotive landscapes of J.M.W. Turner as key influences, drawing from their approaches to color, movement, and their closely observed perceptions of the world around them, to inform her own explorations on canvas. Elizabeth chooses color intuitively, while layering repetitive marks that are frequently applied directly from the tube. These paint marks often gather around a central point of energy, at times bursting outward like a floral bouquet before melting into soft washes of hue. Within these fluid compositions, glimmers of figuration surface as the eye begins to discern the contours of the human body, recognizable in one moment, dissolving in the next.

While deeply cathartic in process, Elizabeth paints with a palpable sense of urgency. The marks she puts down on canvas retain the immediacy of the moment in which they were made, carrying the physical energy of her gestures. Yet, in keeping with the tensions that define her practice, this urgency is tempered by consideration and restraint. Elizabeth is careful not to overwork the surface, guided by what she describes as an “economy of line.” Through this measured approach, the interplay between conscious and unconscious thought finds its balance, allowing each work to pulse with both intention and spontaneity.

Elizabeth’s paintings – individually and as a cohesive body of work – serve as an offering to the viewer, inviting receptivity rather than dictating interpretation. They hint at forms and figures embedded within their ever-shifting surfaces, and suggest presence without ever fully revealing it.

Elizabeth Abel (b. 2001) grew up in London, where she now lives and works. She received her MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art in 2023, following a BFA in Fine Art from the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL in 2022. Her work was included in the group exhibition Boundless at Hollis Taggart Downtown, New York (2025). Recent solo exhibitions include Metamorphosis at Ronchini Gallery, London (2025), and Bloomed at Noh-art Residency, Naples (2023). Her work has been shown in group exhibitions including the RCA MA Painting Degree Show (2023), Haven at Steingold Contemporary (2022), and the Slade Degree Show (2022).

For more information about Acquiescence, please contact us at info@hollistaggart.com or +1 212.628.4000.

For press inquiries, please contact us at press@hollistaggart.com or +1 212.628.4000.