Nothing to See Here, 2026
Melody Tuttle is an Iowa-born Brookyln-based artist, whose latest works explore themes of femininity and intimacy in her solo exhibition You Should Smile More. Tuttle’s pieces explore the complexities of the female experience, where this exhibition interrogates the contrast between the identity of the private self with performative acts of femininity, characterised through the expectations of others. Her pieces offer a glimpse into the moment of suspension where the performative outside-self and the relaxed inside-self merge.
Tuttle’s work is frequently characterised by her predominantly female subject matter which often shows solitary images of women absorbed in the quiet rituals of daily life. Two of her new paintings, The Good Light and All In Good Time, are underpinned by their sense of liminality in the between stages of ‘readiness’; these pieces feature figures undressing and brushing their hair in an exploration of the ambiguous and unmoving sense of time.
Whilst previously her work has been in the bright complimentary tones of oranges and blues, Tuttle’s latest pieces abandon this colour palette of bold contrasts for one which adopts a familiar and peaceful warmth. All rendered in the same monochromatic warm colour palette, her works display the calm comfort of female solitude and the beauty found within the mundane. Each piece depicts a domestic scene, blurring the boundaries between the private experience and the performed identity as the viewer is given a glimpse into these intimate moments.
Anonymity is a strong theme within the works, where the face is obstructed in all images, whether it be with gloved hands in an active movement of hiding, or through the obstruction of the sitter’s hair. Her pieces challenge ideas of feminine expectation, quietly shedding light on the underlying pressure placed on women for how they should behave and dress. Her pieces obtain a delicate beauty which bring to the foreground the private moments of one’s life.
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