There is an old saying for ill-conceived ideas and unhelpful interventions from well-meaning friends, “That’s as useless as putting a screen door on a submarine.” As the phrase is intended to highlight the futility of an idea or infer that something will never work, or “you’re not helping”, there is an inherent cartoon-absurdity to it. Derek Aylward flips this sentiment towards himself and hones the notion into a self deprecating battle cry – What does any of this mean? None of it works. But in the end, all of it works.

Unfiltered joy and deep uncertainty course through Derek Aylward’s new paintings, all created in 2020 and 2021, and all wearing the loving scars of an exuberant creation. The works feel astutely aware of the strange times we’re living in and acknowledge the world’s current tense vibes, but the paintings also document an artistic vision that celebrates the possibility and potential of this moment.

Aylward depicts images of disembodied heads plopped down on the horizon, Donald Duck taking a toke, tennis matches gone riot and groupings of stupefied figures unconsciously, and narrowly, dodging parachuting skulls. Forlorn creatures are seen frozen in time as they amble through their day, glowing with neon edges and a sense of magic. Mystical human figures dissipate into neatly Cubist backdrops only to reemerge across the way. We’re all coming apart, reforming and putting ourselves back together again.

The paintings are completely raw and at the same time deeply classic as they meditate on a sense of community and togetherness that we are all so ready to return to. People are together, as gangs, in play, in fight and sometimes shown just quietly taking it all in.

Tension is at the backbone of these works, but humor provides an even deeper core. Visually, there are nods to Picasso, Basquiat, George Condo and Rose Wylie, but Derek Aylward has created his own visual language and story. The works are deeply personal and imbued with a sense of urgency.

Derek Aylward (b. 1976, Boston, MA) lives and works in Quincy, Massachusetts. The exhibition, Screen Door on a Submarine, at SHRINE is Aylward’s first solo exhibition in New York City, following inclusion in a group show at the gallery that was cut-short with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Aylward attended The Art Institute of Boston from 1997-1999, and has exhibited in group shows at V1 Gallery (Copenhagen), Sorry We’re Closed (Brussels), Blum & Poe (Los Angeles) and Nassima-Landau (Tel Aviv).