The subjects of Charmaine Olivia’s paintings gaze at the viewer with bedroom eyes. The photorealistic young women exude the sex appeal of fashion models, but send shivers down the spine with their skeletal silhouettes. With bones literally exposed, the subjects of Olivia’s work seem to be calling out from the underworld. Fittingly, for her solo show, “Ritual,” at Shooting Gallery, Charmaine Olivia (whose studio we recently visited here) surrounded her paintings with careful arrangements of antique jewelry, natural crystals, flowers and moss, creating an environment fit for a séance of troubled spirits. Take a look at some photos from the opening night by Cameron Van Loos below.– Nastia Voynovskaya
