Marvelli Gallery is pleased to present This Place is Safe, an exhibition of new paintings by Juliana Romano. This will be Juliana’s second solo exhibition at the gallery.

In her most recent body of work, Juliana moves from one subject to another, never giving the viewer access to a concrete narrative or enough information to contextualize the image. The vagueness of the subject matter paired with specific features – a strongly individual face, the wall of a bedroom plastered with photographs – makes the paintings feel familiar and unrecognizable at the same time. It is not clear which parts are safe, meaningful or significant.

These painting investigate the relationships between people and the need for the kind of emotional safety that comes from intimacy. The title also speaks of the safety of imagery itself and the danger that is implied when representation begins to break down. A safe place is an impossibility and there is nothing safe about looking at or making art.

Juliana Romano lives and works in Los Angeles. She received her MFA from UCLA in 2008. For further information or images of the works included in the show, please contact Kendall Anderson at 212-627 3363 or [email protected]