Rae Klein’s paintings comprise of suspended figurative elements set against cloudy skies or nebulous colour fields. The paintings, delicate and meticulously rendered, are feminine in perspective, pertaining to the eternal folly of man and his perpetual attempt to assert control over the natural and feral. Her paintings are oriented in the miasmic and mythic, revealing the stories that men tell to ‘fill in the blanks.’

Formal tableware, candelabras, fruit, lush fabrics, curtains, seashells, women’s hair and ornate jewellery are some of the many motifs included in the Michigan-based painter’s work. Pairs of eyes, hounds, horses, sphinxes (a favoured symbol of femininity), and solitary flowers crop up often. Faces, if they are included at all, are obscured, and flowers and shells are placed in the composition to contain portals. There’s always at least one shimmering light refraction that one can associate with Klein's signature style.

These portals reminisce surrealist dreamscapes that are uncanny, wrong, hallucinatory, doubled, and unpredictable. There’s a hovering sense of threat that hangs over the compositions, as if gravity might kick in and send things into freefall. Her visual vocabulary has been compared to the surrealists, especially with her use of negative and positive space and warped perspectives. This genre affinity has arguably fueled her growth, helped all the more by the art world's increasing interest in Surrealism.

Klein has always drawn but never sought to make a career of it. In the small town she grew up in, there was no real arts community, which left her resorting online and sharing her work on social media. After moving from a nursing to fine arts degree and graduating with a BFA in Painting from Eastern Michigan University in 2017, Klein has had three solo exhibitions with Nicodim Gallery and been part of numerous group exhibitions, both at Nicodim and at other leading galleries across Europe and the United States. She has a forthcoming fourth solo show at Nicodim in 2025. Below, she reflects on the show as it looms closer.

GRACE SANDLES What can you tell us about your upcoming solo show?

RAE KLEIN I have twelve new paintings. I’ve been thinking about an ‘uncanny paradise’, a cycle that’s beginning to break down or corrupt. The first stages of heaven becoming hell. Primal tension, latent paranoia, obsession. And liminal animals that live there.

GS What’s your creative process when starting a new work or a new show?

RK I gather ideas year ‘round. I take a lot of screenshots, pictures of things I find in books, and notes that consist of a few words. I usually work on three paintings at once, so as soon as I get the previous three finished, I’ll take a look at the ideas I’ve gardened and start distilling or cooking the next set and forming compositions, which takes a couple of days. When it clicks into place, it’s an incredible feeling and I can’t wait to start the paintings. I do this over and over, and I let the finished paintings hang out in a pile against the wall. I love when they accumulate. I bring them out sometimes to look at and make changes to them until it’s time for them to be photographed.

GS Where do you turn for inspiration? Are you inclined towards historic or contemporary work?

RK I love stumbling upon an unexpected image. I spend a lot of time on the internet, on eBay, and at antique stores, looking at photos and images. I like photos that were taken to use as reference or as an example. I’ve been thinking a lot about this video on YouTube I saw which is a recreation of a plane crash, so I’ve been painting a lot of planes. Recently, I’ve been spending time at a used bookstore in Detroit called John K. King. I’ve had a lot of ‘Wow!’ moments in there. Things come together for me when I’m driving and listening to music too.

GS Do you think your work is derivative of Surrealist themes or motifs?

RK I don’t have an identity for these paintings, and I haven’t personally looked for a place for them to fit in.

GS You stayed in Michigan instead of doing the typical thing of moving to a city like New York when your career started to take off. Why is that?

RK For now, I have been enjoying dipping in and taking back what I need to stew on it in quiet. That could change at any time, and there are some problems that arise from this position. What does work out here for me is that I like to be in the studio all day and I’m very solitary. I think I can do this from anywhere. And I like living here. But I do love visiting new places and learning from them.

GS What role has social media played in the development of your career?

RK Social media played a huge role in the development of my career. Especially early on, I recognised that my favourite artists and art world professionals were there, so it made a lot of sense for me to be there too. I’m excited when I find a new artist who’s doing incredible things, and I love watching them take off. I’m not sure what it was like before social media, but I think a lot of artists lately are discovered online. It’s a massive opportunity, especially for artists living in an unconventional area.