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Artist Keren Toledano





Keren Toledano is a self-taught painter based in New York City. After years of pursuing creative fiction, writer’s block led her to explore fine art. Her current work explores the liminal space between chaos and order, using a multitude of different marks to create a grammar outside of language.


In addition to collaborations with designers, retailers and art publishers, her work has been featured in publications such as Vogue and The New York Times, and at international design fairs. She now splits her time between painting and writing, finding connections across disciplines. She is represented by Anne Irwin Fine Art, Mont Art House, Design Supply and Exhibit Gallery.





"There is no story without elements in tension. Transparent and opaque, smooth and textured— each aspect amplifies the qualities of the other. As a creative writer, I am interested in the overlap of story and image, the ways in which specific marks invoke a pre-linguistic syntax. What seems most solid is a mere reaction to what lies beneath. My current work evolved from this contemplation--that the eye and brain conspire to make meaning, but are often fooled by a moment out of context. And in a world that relies increasingly on image, we must learn to be skeptical of what we see. In life, as in art, our interpretive lens is uniquely distorted, shaped by our histories, marks and landscapes."



Tell us a little about yourself (where you are from) and your background in the arts.

I started painting about 10 years ago, when I fell into a bout of intense writer's block. I had been working on a collection of short stories--centered on the overlap of "house and home"--the structures we build to embody the feeling of belonging. I was writing away, when--very slowly, then all at once--I had no words. I had these vague ideas for stories in my head, but I couldn't express them. So I started making art as a distraction. What came of this period was a series of abstract paper collages, incorporating pieces of my torn up stories. I was attempting to finish the stories in image--to invoke emotion through color and shape. This became my first solo show in 2017, " The Act But Not the Thing is Sacred." I had read this idea somewhere, and it resonated: never marry your darlings. Create for the sake of creating, not the product.


There is a freedom in painting that I never had when writing. I am less tied to specificity. The painting still has to reach a resolution. But it can remain ambiguous, left open to broader interpretation.


What kind of work are you currently making?

I'm working with the idea of a visual palimpsest--a document of decisions made over time. When an earlier layer is knocked back, it lingers as an imprint, shaping the way the viewer reads the painting. I'm interested in the way the eye perceives spatial orientation--objects floating, advancing or receding. We are wired to make sense of what we see. But are we reliable narrators? Can we trust our own eyes, when all we perceive is shaped by our layers and our own backgrounds?


There is honesty in abstraction because there is no truth claim. It offers, instead, a moment of indulgence--to step away from the visual culture, and view the painting as a self-reflection.


What is a day like in the studio for you?

I usually start my days in the studio looking over the prior day's work. Because acrylic paint dries so much darker than when it is applied, there is always an anticipation to see how the painting "reads" in the morning. I usually spend the early hours assessing where colors need to be adjusted, or rethought entirely. Because of the drying time between layers, I work on multiple paintings at once. Some will be in the early intuitive stages, and others will be ready for more focused editing. I like to work on a mix of stages in the same day, to keep my mind active. When I'm not painting, I spend a lot of time sketching out ideas, or walking through the neighborhood taking photographs. I am always on the lookout for color combinations, textures, or the ways in which geometries intersect.


I don't stay in the studio much past 6 pm. It's important to me to draw a line between studio and home. My studio is a 40 minute subway ride away, which can feel like a hassle. But it also helps me impose this boundary.


What are you looking at right now and/or reading?

Living in New York City, I am lucky to be able to visit, and revisit, the work of my two favorite abstractionists--Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko. I'm drawn to abstract works that call attention to process, to the human hand at play. The power of their work is not in any one "true" reading, but in the awesomeness of scale, the multitude of layers that pull in the viewer.


In experiencing these works, I am reminded not only that the painting is a real and physical thing, but of my own physicality--the way my eyesight vibrates, and my brain contrives to name new colors. Their work feels grounded and "real," in a world that exists all too much in pixels.


Where can we find more of your work? (ex. website/insta/gallery/upcoming shows)


You can also find me at my galleries directly. And please join my email list through my website to stay updated and keep in touch!













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