Reisha Perlmutter American, b. 1990
Reisha Perlmutter is a figurative artist who paints detailed and intimate images of the female human body. She deploys mastery of technique to create an almost hyper-real sense of physical presence. Her models bask in aquatic, tranquil settings that propose an integrated, benevolent and harmonious relationship with nature.
Perlmutter's naked subjects float, swim and immerse themselves in water. Submerged or not, they appear perfectly at ease in the medium, which supports and nurtures them. We see them part-revealed, part-distorted by the modifying, liquid lens of the sea. The artist is adept at manipulating paint to express the play of light, the subtle gradations of colour and the complex modulations of contour that are fundamental to making such convincing images.
Recent paintings focus closely on the head. They are particularly concerned with the flow of hair in water, as it swirls, drifts and curls, masking and obscuring the features to evoke an air of mystery. Such pictures make allusive reference to art historical precedents - the Nereids, Sirens and mermaids of classical and folk tales, so beloved by a multitude of storytelling painters, sculptors and illustrators. Perlmutter's characters adopt some of the more ambiguous aspects of these, suggesting the chance for a less well-disposed expression of feminine spirit.
The artist locates her women in what can be interpreted as an implicitly 'female' environment. Her figures are often in semi-foetal poses, which suggests a vital, amniotic medium, essential to bringing forth and sustaining life. She chooses to represent the sea as benign, soothing and calming - a space for relaxation, contemplation and solitary thoughtfulness. For this artist the forces of nature are potentially friendly, but as a caveat, need to be worked with and not against. Her models are revealed nude and unadorned, in step and balance with an elemental, watery world.
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Liquid Resonance
Currents Through Portrait, Landscape & Abstraction 10 Jul - 2 Aug 2025Liquid Resonance brings together nine compelling approaches to the theme of liquidity, where water, oil, paint, atmosphere and memory are used to evoke transformation, emotion and reflection. Kyle Barnes’s portraits glisten with thick, dripping layers that encase and elevate the human form. Iain Faulkner’s solitary figure gazes out over tranquil lakes, caught in stillness. Madeleine Gross reworks photographs of sunlit coastlines with expressive, textured paint, introducing interruption and energy. Heather Horton offers quiet moments viewed through glass, where surface distortion creates an ethereal sense of dislocation. In contrast, Richard Harrison’s abstracted, almost glacial seascapes are vast and turbulent, exploring texture, energy and scale. Lee Jungwoong captures the quiet power of a single ink brushstroke rendered in exquisite detail, while Jarek Puczel’s cinematic figure faces a tempestuous sea. Elena Unger conjures a visionary vortex of light and force, and Reisha Perlmutter’s meditative figure finds serenity within a fluid immersion.Read more
Across the exhibition, each artist engages with liquid in their own way - physically, emotionally or symbolically - inviting viewers to trace the threads of transformation, reflection, nostalgia, and resilience that run through each practice. -
Shifting Focus: Female Painters & Sculptors 2025
A Group Exhibition 7 Mar - 5 Apr 2025Open throughout March, Pontone Gallery will showcase selected pieces across painting and sculpture by our female artists spanning the UK, the US, and Asia.Read more