X Museum holds solos for two rising stars

Manning's solo "Sea Change" features the artist's most recent works, including a series of oil paintings and drawings, to showcase her ongoing exploration of the traditions of abstract painting and contemporary New Leipzig techniques, as well as her latest painting practice inspired by music and ballet.

Gardner's solo "Good Luck" brings together 15 artworks by the figurative painter over the past six years. Paintings on show highlight the artist's iconic style — entangled ink-black bodies draped with dramatically folding white cotton separates and posed in pastel environments where the reflections of color produce subtle gradients and thoughtful tonal shifts.

To the surprise of most viewers, the black people championed across Gardner's paintings are emotionally charged but are not granted any facial features. The artist admitted that he tackles the concept of blackness as a "kind of blankness" that encourages viewers to identify with the subject regardless of their race.