Fresh Lag - A Solo Show by Rebecca Orcutt

"Nothing is quite as it seems in artist Rebecca Orcutt’s portraits and still life paintings."

These are the words of journalist Richard McClure about the works of Rebecca Orcutt, on the occasion of her winning the 2024 Young Artist Award, presented by the prestigious Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Let there be no doubt that Rebecca Orcutt is highly talented her upcoming solo exhibition at Gallery Poulsen is a testament to that. The exhibition explores the quiet moments we all know — the ones that take place between thought and action, before we’ve had time to respond to what we believe we want to do.

Orcutt’s paintings capture precisely those scenes where something is about to happen, yet the figures appear caught in a kind of emotional delay: they watch, hesitate, and reach out, but seem almost absent in the absence of action. This is where the title Fresh Lag finds its meaning.

The characters in Orcutt’s paintings often occupy small spaces with low ceilings or narrow hallways — rooms that evoke a sense of limitation, spacet hat could trigger claustrophobia but yet, there is no real reason to be afraid.

Longing is a recurring theme throughout the paintings — a longing that feels both fundamental and open-ended. It might be for connection, love, food, or perhaps an escape? But this longing is also repressed, as if acting upon it comes with risk or threat. The people seem to want something — yet they do nothing. They stare, they wait, they long for something undefined. Perhaps they don’t even know what it is they’re longing for.

Familiar objects appear — briefcases and Post-it notes — evoking thoughts of work and productivity. But the notes are blank. Perhaps something is forgotten?
Vending machines also appear familiar— they represent modern convenience and immediate satisfaction. They become objects of desire, offering a safe and concrete way to satisfy one's longing. Yet even the bright, glowing machines fail to provoke a response from the figures.

Thus, the longing becomes more about the feeling of longing itself, than about anything that might fulfill it. The figures appear disconnected, misaligned, hesitant. Again, as if action is delayed or out of sync.

In her paintings, Rebecca Orcutt zooms in on those tiny unconscious glitches — the moments we all experience daily, between thought and action — a split second of indecision. This contrast between inner longing and a fading belief in its fulfillment is highlighted throughout the exhibition. Whatever could potentially satisfy the need becomes irrelevant in these quiet moments. What remains is longing itself — a universal and enduring feeling that we all recognize, for better or worse.

But you don’t have to merely long for Rebecca Orcutt’s captivating paintings — join us for the opening reception at Gallery Poulsen on Friday, May 2nd, from 17:00–20:00.
Rebecca Orcutt will be present, and there will be an artist talk around 18:00, where she will talk about the exhibition and take questions from the audience.

Opening reception Friday May 2nd: 17.00 – 20:00

Gallery Poulsen, Staldgade 32, Copenhagen

For more info, please contact the gallery at [email protected] or on tel. + 45 33 33 93 96

Works