Carnival brings together a new body of work by Vesna Jovanovic, inspired by her interest in medieval French carnivals and other festivals from around the world in which social ranks and identities are ignored and concealed, allowing participants to connect through food, dance, laughter, and sexual expression.

In the group of paintings exhibited, all created in the past three years, the artist playfully renders invented spaces in which the body is both setting and subject—collapsed into unexpected relationships with objects that bring joy and pleasure. Jovanovic’s process begins by pouring diluted ink onto sheets of Yupo (a synthetic paper made of polypropylene). Once the ink is dried, the artist responds to the texture by painting candy, sparklers, confetti, sex toys, jingles, and much more across the fleshy surfaces–prioritizing relationships that evoke attraction, repulsion, laughter, and recognition.

Eye of Providence, 2025, Ink, vinyl paint, and acrylic pen on polypropylene, 60 x 60 inches.