Monya Rowe is pleased to present the first New York solo exhibition by Larissa Bates titled The Peaceable Kingdom. The title of the exhibition is borrowed from a painting of the same name by the American folk artist Edward Hicks (1780-1849). The exhibition includes paintings on paper and multiple sheets of glass and a large hanging sculpture.

Bates’ highly narrative works are inhabited with wrestlers, animals, and hybrid creatures she refers to as “Tiny-Baby-Creatures” and “Budgeons.” The Budgeon landscape reflects the intersection of nature and urban development while using an imaginary character to subversively address issues associated with various social codes. The works examine preconceived notions of masculinity intertwined with a hint of nostalgia. Although the title of the exhibition alludes to a harmonious existence, undercurrents of rage and violence are at the foreground of the exhibition. Bates’ immensely detailed paintings cleverly oscillate between a chaotic and controlled environment.