“My new work has something to do with empires. Not the type of empires created by Cyrus or Alexander, though indirectly those too, but the other empires, the ones of everyday life. The ones built with the dust that settles on nightstands. Sometimes these stretch to the length of birds-in-hand and sometimes they reach to that elusive nursery of rainbows. Regardless of their size, empires are made of dreams so there is a good possibility that in the final account—if such an account were to be available—they are nothing but reflections of our vanity. The tendency, however, is to postpone that recognition. Empires are always of tomorrow. Today, the wonders and frailties of the kingdom might be available for the wise to see, but the wise are busy with the next campaign.” — Enrique Martínez Celaya, Empires (I: Beginnings)

Empires: Sea at Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 West 20th Street

Left to right: The Harvest, 2015, Oil and wax on canvas, 78 x 100 in., The Watch or the Triumph, 2015, Oil and wax on canvas, 72 x 60 in., The Bloom, for the Wilderness, 2015, Oil and wax on canvas, 78 x 100 in., The Measure, 2015, Oil and wax on canvas, 78 x 60 in.

The Relic and the Pure, 2013, Oil and wax on canvas, 60 x 78 in.

The Deeper Life, 2015, Bronze, 4 x 26 x 46 in.

Left: The Bloom, for the Wilderness, 2015, Oil and wax on canvas, 78 x 100 in. Right: TBT: Chairs, 2015, Burnt chairs, suitcases, tar and enamel, Dimensions variable

Empires: Land at Jack Shainman Gallery, 524 West 24th Street

The Crown, 2015, Oil and wax on canvas, 100 x 78 in.

The Empire, 2015, Oil and wax on canvas, 78 x 100 in.

The Dreamer, 2015, Oil and wax on canvas, 78 x 60 in.

The Innocent, 2015, Oil and wax on canvas, 92 x 118 in.

Images courtesy Jack Shainman Gallery