Ted Gahl (New Haven, Connecticut, 1983) lives and works in Connecticut.

Ted Gahl creates intuitive paintings of varying scale, embedding and juxtaposing personal imagery of the present alongside art historical influences of the past. Gahl’s paintings often read as elements of subconscious activities–reveries, dreams, and memories, while being firmly grounded in the act of painting itself. “I’ve always been a fan of minimal and monochrome painting, but at the same time love elements of figuration and drawing in work”, he says. “My goal was to create paintings that, from afar, read as relatively flat, but when you get closer, include elements of subtle color and form”.

Regarding the exhibited work: “this painting, and the title, were inspired by my fascination with the 1984 Redmond O’Hanlon novel Into the Heart of Borneo. The painting is broken into a three-part formal grid, while a female figure emerges from the middle out of an expressive, jungle-like environment. The figure is a distraction or vehicle to implement figuration into an otherwise abstract painting. The formal elements now act as walls or doors, putting the figure into a time and place”.