Following Nino Mier Gallery’s withdrawal from all its Los Angeles venues, Mulrooney has impressively acquired three of these spaces. Bangs, who was initially set for a solo exhibition with Mier in June, will now showcase her work at Mulrooney’s gallery, which formerly collaborated with Mier. This exhibition is particularly noteworthy as it signifies a debut for both the gallery and the artist.
Piper Bangs. Photo: Reid Calvert. Courtesy of the artist and Megan Mulrooney, Los Angeles.
Lush and organic with an immersive sense of fantasy, Bangs’ paintings are filled with a life that feels both alien and familiar. The works in “Fruiting Body” feature “fruits” depicted with elements of figuration and objecthood. Some may find them somewhat unsettling, while others might see them as charming. The exhibition’s title, referencing the spore-bearing part of fungi, like mushrooms, sheds light on Bangs’ thematic choices.
“Developing this ‘fruit’ concept a year or two back, I was immersed in Renoir’s works and Linda Nochlin’s classic writings. I aimed to move away from the European tradition of figurative painting, particularly from depicting sexualized female nudes,” Bangs shared. “I wanted to explore themes related to my personal experiences, so I began creating ‘fruit characters’ that were figurative but not explicitly human figures… I envisioned them with their own narratives, embodying a young woman’s perspective on community, sensuality, and the exchange of knowledge.”
Piper Bangs, Bathers (2024). Photo: Photo by Paul Salveson. Courtesy of the artist and Megan Mulrooney, Los Angeles.
Pears initially inspired Bangs, as their natural form suggested human-like figures. Over time, these were overtaken by creative embellishments and artistic methods. “I aimed for a very flesh-like, anthropomorphic quality, complete with what I envision as belly rolls and cellulite, though they’ve certainly moved beyond any realistic depiction,” Bangs explains. The artworks unfold through vignettes, capturing instances of discovery, knowledge, and maturation. Bangs refers to a “mentor tree,” a pivotal element in the narrative, symbolizing the origin and growth of the fruits within the story.
In “Pearls and Onlookers” (2024), the fleshy fruits resemble slugs on a teal tree. Pearls dangle between the branches, hinting at the “pearls of wisdom” idiom. A green fruit in the center seems to reject the pearls, casting them into the air. On the left, a droopy gray fruit is studded with over half a dozen pearls, with two more descending towards it. The pearls reemerge in “Transferring” (2024), where numerous smaller fruits cluster around a larger one, laden with pearls, seemingly sharing them along their stems.
Trained in the tradition of French academic painting, Bangs revels in the formal and technical progression of each painting. The process begins with a thumbnail sketch that is meticulously refined and expanded, followed by a traditional grisaille—a black-and-white tonal underpainting—that defines the final composition on the canvas. Once the primary elements are in place, she relishes the opportunity to adjust the subtler, more complex details, fostering a degree of creative composition. Drawing on the techniques of the Old Masters and Rococo artists, their meticulous brushwork, precise line execution, and dynamic color palettes converge in works that seem timeless, as if existing in their own distinct universe.
Bangs strives to keep her canvases sufficiently open-ended, inviting viewers to apply their own interpretations while also providing space for her own creative exploration within “Fruiting Body.” Regarding her future work, Bangs expressed, “I’m drawn to the uncanny mood in my paintings. Although the current show’s works are quite fantastical, I aim to bring them closer to reality, to a point where they almost seem plausible as real-world entities.”
