In the Absence of You: Mahady Gallery

Feburary 2-28, 2026
Mahady Gallery, Marywood University
Artist Talk: Feb 12, 1:00 PM
Opening Reception: Feb 12, 5:30 PM

In the Absence of You is an exploration of presence shaped by loss, longing, and intimacy by Brooklyn-based artist Nathan Brad Hall. Nathan’s work centers the  body as a site of  emotional restraint,  figures that exist in moments of pause rather than action—caught between exposure and self-protection. These bodies carry the weight of being seen, wanting to be seen, and resisting that visibility at the same time.

Light is used deliberately, often isolating the figure from its surroundings and turning the act of looking into something intimate and charged. Darkness functions as cover, safety, and tension rather than absence. The paintings do not tell stories so much as they hold states—longing, anticipation, vulnerability, loss.

The figures and portraits showcased in In An Absence of You stand in for shared experiences rather than specific identities, allowing space for projection and recognition. The work invites the viewer into a slow encounter, where intimacy is built not through spectacle, but through attention.