Currently on view at Nunu Fine Art’s New York Project Space is View from My Window, a solo exhibition by Taiwanese painter Guan-Hong Lu. The exhibition features over 20 small oil paintings, predominantly 13” x 10” in size, and is housed in the gallery’s lower level—below ground—intensifying the sense of intimacy in both subject matter and conceptual approach. Lu’s subject matter, at first glance, appears as fleeting moments captured in time, but upon closer inspection, they reveal layers of surrealism, irony, and political undertones.
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Lu’s work is characterized by rapid, expressive brushstrokes reminiscent of alla prima or plein air techniques. The urgency in his application mirrors the fleeting nature of his subjects, capturing moments with the immediacy of a snapshot. The works create a sense of spontaneity, as though the images were painted in haste, desperate to preserve an ephemeral scene before it disappears. Works such as The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Zeit, Dasein, and The Compass of Strategy demonstrate this painterly impulse. However, beyond their initial spontaneity, the images reveal a deeper sense of dissonance—a toppled vehicle resting in what appears to be a Zen garden, a firefighter dousing a young individual with a water gun while a real fire blazes in the background. These compositions invite viewers to question their own perceptions of reality and memory and touch on a political narrative.
According to the exhibition’s press release, Lu draws inspiration from an online movement that emerged during the pandemic, where individuals worldwide shared images captured from their windows. This collective digital experience, initially a response to isolation and disconnection, provided glimpses into private and public spaces alike. By reinterpreting these shared visuals, Lu reflects on social and political dynamics, subtly embedding themes of surveillance, displacement, and civic unrest within his compositions. Taiwan’s complex political status—its struggle for international recognition, its relationship with China, and its internal debates on identity and sovereignty—finds an echo in Lu’s dreamlike yet unsettling scenes.
What distinguishes Lu’s paintings is their ability to balance political critique with humor and whimsy. The paintings do not adopt a heavy-handed, didactic tone but instead employ irony and absurdity to make their points. The surreal juxtapositions—a firefighter engaging in an almost comical act of mock-rescue while a real emergency looms in the background—mirror the contradictions within political rhetoric and media representation. Similarly, the presence of Zen-like tranquility disrupted by chaos in other paintings reflects Taiwan’s paradoxical position as a progressive, vibrant democracy facing external existential threats. This tension between playfulness and gravity condenses the experience of contemporary youth, who are acutely aware of political instability yet often use humor and satire as coping mechanisms.
The exhibition’s physical setting further reinforces its themes. Located in a windowless, enclosed space, the gallery amplifies the sensation of viewing something private, even clandestine. The small scale of the works forces the viewer to lean in closely, mimicking the experience of looking through keyholes or scrolling through intimate social media snapshots. This act of looking—of witnessing—becomes a central element of the show. Who is watching whom? What does it mean to see and be seen? In an age of digital voyeurism, where windows have transformed into screens, Lu’s paintings serve as both a reflection and a critique of the ways we consume images and narratives.
Each piece in the exhibition functions as a metaphorical “window,” not only into physical spaces but also into psychological and political realities. The concept of the window, both as a literal architectural feature and a symbol of observation, takes on multiple meanings. Furthermore, Lu’s work reflects the dissonance of confinement and connection experienced during the pandemic. His paintings, rooted in images shared online, demonstrate how digital spaces became extensions of physical existence during lockdowns.
Yet, rather than offering straightforward representations, Lu distorts and reimagines these images, emphasizing their subjectivity. This distortion calls attention to the way media, politics, and personal memory shape our understanding of events. The blurring between fact and fiction, between reality and absurdity, is a direct commentary on the nature of contemporary political discourse—not just in Taiwan, but globally.
In many ways, View from My Window is as much about perspective as it is about place. The exhibition challenges viewers to reconsider what they see and how they interpret it. It invites them to question narratives—both personal and political—and to acknowledge the power dynamics inherent in observation. Lu’s paintings, with their delicate balance of urgency and reflection, humor and critique, intimacy and universality, capture a moment in time while simultaneously surpassing it.
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View from My Window at Nunu Fine Art’s New York Project Space @nunufineart
February 12 – March 29, 2025
381 Broome Street New York, NY 10013
About the writer: Riad Miah was born in Trinidad and currently lives and works in New York City. His work has been exhibited at the Baltimore Museum of Contemporary Art, Sperone Westwater, White Box Gallery, Deluxe Projects, Rooster Contemporary Art, Simon Gallery, and Lesley Heller Workshop. He has received fellowships nationally and internationally. His works are included in private, university, and corporate collections. He contributes to Two Coats of Paint, the Brooklyn Rail, and Whitehot Magazine.