Jane Dickson’s new hyper-hued oil paintings present glimpses of the worlds within worlds of the architecture of distraction, Vegas-style, where faux and virtual realities converge to sweep us irresistibly into the unstable worlds of the electronic baroque. Entering the casino’s deliriously scripted spaces mirrors in 3-D, the seductive chaos of the web, where we all struggle to hold focus on tasks trying not to be led astray by the siren songs of you-tube etc.

Dickson visited Las Vegas during the sobering period of 2009-10, when it had just become the poster child of America’s housing bust. Average homes there had lost 50% of its value. The casinos at that point were sparsely populated and uncannily subdued. Nothing could rekindle the party atmosphere. This seems like the right place to consider this moment when the whole world has come off a gambling spree, in which most people lost and the game seems to be drastically changing.

Jane Dickson has been exhibiting her work internationally for more than 2 decades. Often working on industrial materials, her paintings examine the conventions and disjunctions of contemporary American life, from the crowded theatricality of Times Square to the unnerving blandness of waiting rooms, airports, highways, garages.

EAT SLOTS, PLAY FREE will run through April 15th. The gallery is open on Sat. and Sun. from 1 – 6 and Friday’s by appointment. email @ [email protected] 718 381-2962