Squeak Carnwath Paints Her Own Path

John Yau's review highlights the enduring relevance of painting in contemporary art

Feb. 20, 2026 at 9:34pm

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John Yau's recent review in Hyperallergic examines the work of artist Squeak Carnwath, whose exhibition "Goddess of All" at Jane Lombard Gallery in New York City offers a compelling case for the continued relevance of painting in the 21st century. Despite a decades-long career, Carnwath remains underrepresented in major art institutions, which Yau suggests may be due to her steadfast commitment to oil painting and resistance to easy categorization. Carnwath's paintings are characterized by a recurring visual vocabulary of motifs like LP records, sinking ships, and classical imagery, which function as a visual language prompting reflection on themes of history, mortality, and the human condition.

Why it matters

Carnwath's work is part of a larger conversation about the enduring relevance of painting in a world saturated with new media. Her paintings embrace paradox, championing the possibilities of paint even as they acknowledge the turbulent state of the world, reflecting broader trends in contemporary art such as the resurgence of figurative painting, the blurring of boundaries between disciplines, the influence of digital technologies, and a focus on materiality.

The details

Carnwath's paintings feature a layered approach, with images and text superimposed to create a surface that feels like a repository for fragments of culture and experience. The addition of silhouettes, such as Degas's 'The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer,' the Statue of Liberty, and a crowned figure, introduces a consideration of idealized female representations.

  • Squeak Carnwath's exhibition "Goddess of All" is on view at Jane Lombard Gallery in New York City through February 28, 2026.
  • The Oakland Museum of California organized an in-depth examination of Carnwath's work, titled "Painting Is No Ordinary Object", in 2009.

The players

Squeak Carnwath

An artist whose work is characterized by a recurring visual vocabulary of motifs like LP records, sinking ships, and classical imagery, which function as a visual language prompting reflection on themes of history, mortality, and the human condition.

John Yau

An art critic who recently reviewed Carnwath's work in Hyperallergic, highlighting the enduring relevance of painting in contemporary art.

Jane Lombard Gallery

The gallery in New York City that is currently exhibiting Carnwath's show "Goddess of All".

Oakland Museum of California

The museum that organized an in-depth examination of Carnwath's work, titled "Painting Is No Ordinary Object", in 2009.

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What they’re saying

“Carnwath actively rejects the idea that painting is a spent force, capable only of broken gestures. Her work, as Yau notes, seeks to be 'expansive' within the medium's long history.”

— John Yau, Art Critic

The takeaway

Squeak Carnwath's work is a testament to the enduring relevance of painting in contemporary art, challenging the notion that the medium is a spent force. Her layered, paradoxical paintings offer a compelling exploration of themes like history, mortality, and the human condition, and are part of a broader conversation about the evolution of painting in the 21st century.