Asher Liftin

DETAILS:

b. 1998, New York

The paintings of Asher Liftin explore fundamental questions of perception and cognition. In his meticulously rendered images—transposed from photographs—Liftin composes layered fields of interpenetrating marks.

Informed by his studies in both art and cognitive science, and rooted in an interdisciplinary engagement with philosophies of the image, Liftin’s works investigate how we see and how images function. Drawing on both the history of image-making and the science of visual processing, Liftin’s pictures deconstruct and atomize the pictured world only to rebuild it in the formalist language of painting. The resulting works conjure a revenant of realism, composed with an uncanny, spectral verisimilitude in minute variations of color and tone.

Carnegie Hall by Asher Liftin — Asher Liftin, *Carnegie Hall*, 2026, acrylic ink and acrylic paint on linen, 79" × 59" (200.7 cm × 149.9 cm) © Asher Liftin

New York Window by Asher Liftin — Asher Liftin, *New York Window*, 2024, acrylic ink and acrylic paint on linen, 79" × 59" (200.7 cm × 149.9 cm) © Asher Liftin

Liftin draws on the histories of divisionist color theory and pointillist techniques, transposing and reinventing them in the language of the CMYK color model, which is traditionally used in modern ink printing. Systematically reworking the logic of the digital in the physical form of pigment on canvas, Liftin deploys acrylic inks in various states of dilution to build his pictures. With each successive layer of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, the paintings begin to echo the logic of mechanical reproduction, yet remain emphatically handmade. The self-evident organicism of the drips that interrupt the neat grid of Liftin’s marks underscore the persistence of the hand, while producing an effect that hovers somewhere between information and abstraction. Clearly resolved from a distance, the imagistic wholeness of his compositions disintegrates as viewers approach the surface, falling away into networks of lines, dots, and drips.

Work by Asher Liftin — Asher Liftin, *Studio Window II*, 2023, acrylic ink and acrylic paint on linen, 86" × 66" (218 cm × 167.6 cm) © Asher Liftin

Liftin’s work harkens back to the formal ingenuity of Dutch Golden Age painting, especially in regard to perception and phenomenology. In his still lifes, Liftin often includes transparent and reflective surfaces, which distort the viewing angle and complicate the relationship between object, figure, and picture plane, problematizing the act of seeing. All of Liftin’s images—whether portraits, architectural facades, still lifes, or scenes of public spaces—are drawn from his expansive growing archive of personal photographs and iPhone images. Liftin’s paintings begin in this repertoire of images, which he edits digitally to achieve the desired balance and geometry before beginning to translate the composition into a painting.

Two Candles by Asher Liftin — Asher Liftin, *Two Candles*, 2026, colored pencil on paper, 18-1/4" × 15-1/2" (46.4 cm × 39.4 cm), framed © Asher Liftin

Liftin’s practice of painting is paralleled by his extensive work in drawing, particularly in colored pencil. These works appear almost like tapestries, with thousands of threads interwoven to create a cohesive image. Often, Liftin’s works merge multiple perspectives onto a single pictorial plane, calling into question the metaphysics of the image itself. Liftin experiments with pictorial dimensions in many of his other works, including Two Candles (2026), which acknowledges its own illusionism through parallel flames that appear to vaporize the work itself, leaving a white background where the rest of the drawing should exist. The light source in the image becomes negative space. In this way, Liftin examines the act of looking, resulting in works that vibrate with energy yet emanate a contemplative clarity.

Liftin received a BA in visual art and a BS in cognitive science from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, where he was a 2020–21 Franke Fellow. His first solo exhibition, Blow Up, was held at Alessandro Albanese, Milan, in 2022. Recent solo exhibitions of his work include Of the Surface of Things, Alessandro Albanese, Matera, Italy (2022–23); Error Signals, Nino Mier Gallery, New York (2023); Knight’s Move, Nino Mier Gallery, Brussels (2024); and Cat’s Cradle, Nino Mier Gallery, New York (2026). His work has been included in group exhibitions at PALO Gallery, New York (2022, 2024); M+B, Los Angeles (2023); Winter Street Gallery, Edgartown, Massachusetts (2023, 2024); Nino Mier Gallery, New York (2023); Venus Over Manhattan, New York (2023–24); Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York (2024); Sitting Room Gallery, New York (2024); and Chilli Art Projects, London (2025). Liftin was the 2026 resident at the Watermill Center, Water Mill, New York. Works by Liftin are held in the collections of the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California; and Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut. The artist lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.